


Bonded to You

by Amora0819



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Auror Harry Potter, Depressed Draco Malfoy, Down and Out Draco Malfoy, Endgame Drarry, F/M, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Hermione Granger is a Good Friend, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mpreg, Pregnant Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley Bashing, Supportive Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:00:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 27,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27328444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amora0819/pseuds/Amora0819
Summary: In the wizarding world, magic makes producing an heir easy, if one wishes to - things like gender becoming completely unimportantSo, for titles in the wizarding world - gender doesn't matter (a male can be the "lady" and a female the "lord" just as easy as the other way) but legitimacy does.Thus, for the past few hundred years, if a titled individual conceives a child before bonding - he or she is automatically bonded to the other parent if also unwed.So, when Draco and Harry have sex as a result of a potion and Draco conceives, they bond automatically, without even knowing about it (or, even remembering the sex, in Harry's case!) only to find out a few weeks later, when Harry's bonding to Ginny fails due to his already being to "the Lady Malfoy!"Cue Harry and Draco learning to deal with their circumstances and each other, while prepping for the baby and all the surrounding drama!
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 98
Kudos: 486





	1. The Potion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [borderlinecrazy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/borderlinecrazy/gifts).



“Good morning, sir. How can I help you today?” Draco asked as Harry walked into the small apothecary that the blonde worked at. 

Harry just stood there, a few inches from the doorway, gaping at the blonde whom he had known ever since he was 11. 

**_That’s it?_ **

**_No fight?_ **

**_No calling me 'Potter'?_ **

“What are you up to, Malfoy?” Harry asked, ready to pull out his wand in case the blonde had a trick or two up his sleeve. 

Draco’s eyes immediately snapped to where the brunette’s hand was reaching for his wand. The blonde shuddered and looked at Harry pleadingly. 

“Harry, please,” he said quietly, his eyes darting to a place behind the brunette’s head then back to Harry again. 

The brunette looked back in an instant, failing to see what could be petrifying the blonde at first. Luckily, his Auror training came in handy. When he inspected the area closer, he noticed it: a wizarding camera, pointing right at Malfoy. The blonde was under surveillance, knew about it, and let it happen? Why would he do that?

Harry was snapped out of his thoughts by Draco’s quiet words. 

“I really need this job, Potter. Please don’t mess it up for me,” he whispered, continuing to look down at the counter. 

Harry stared at Malfoy for a while, mouth agape, unable to decipher if what the blonde was saying was true or not. 

**_The Malfoy I know would never plead or show his weakness like this._ **

“Please, just take what you want and leave.” he heard the blonde say shakingly. 

Harry didn’t want to show him the paper. It was too embarrassing and private. That was the whole reason that he went to the smallest, least-known apothecary in the wizarding world. Of course, Malfoy just **had** to be working there and Harry had to pity him enough to just ask for the potions, even if it was embarrassing. 

“Fine. I just want these,” he said, unfolding a piece of paper and placing it on the counter. Harry watched as the blonde looked down at the paper, nodded slightly, then obtained a big box of the potions, pulled two out, and put them down on the counter. 

“Huh?” Harry asked, confused. Malfoy furrowed his brows, still saying nothing about the nature of the purchase. 

“I said it’s forty galleons per potion. They should be applied directly onto the skin or any thin clothing. I brought you two as you asked for in the paper, but they shouldn’t be used within a week of each other.” 

“I heard you, but...What? No joke? Nothing to say about my relationship? No little songs about how Harry Potter’s dick doesn’t work? You don’t plan on blackmailing me or going to the Prophet?” 

Something darkened in Malfoy’s grey eyes as they flicked over to where the camera was then back to Harry’s face. The blonde sighed and started speaking slowly. 

“Mr. Potter, if you’re having erectile dysfunction issues, these potions won’t help you. They only serve to increase your lust for the person closest in proximity to you until you’ve consummated. If there is an initial problem with physical arousal, increasing your attraction or psychological arousal won’t solve the issue.” Malfoy said in a completely professional tone, looking Harry in the eye. 

“So, if there is no problem with...physical arousal, just with being attracted enough to my partner for the physical arousal to happen, this potion should work, right?” The brunette whispered, looking down at the ground in shame and shifting from one foot to another. 

“Yes,” Malfoy said firmly, still keeping his professional tone, “It was often used by homosexual male purebloods so they could bond with a female and produce heirs. That was before the birthing gene was found to be present in both genders, rendering the whole process of false marriages and the potion useless.” 

“It should work, then.” Harry murmured to himself, not realizing what his words implied until he had said them. He looked up and saw that the blonde had a look of sadness on his face. 

“Don’t pity me! It’s not like that. I’ve just been very stressed lately and the wedding is planned smack down in the middle of the most important case of my Auror career and Ginny is freaking out about the planning which means we are driving each other crazy and sometimes that can hinder attraction. I won’t need those after the wedding. Ginny is perfect for me.” The brunette said harshly, then slammed the money on the counter. 

That was the last thing Harry remembered before everything went black. 

* * *

Draco watched in horror as a bout of accidental magic from the clearly distressed Harry Potter shattered the entire box of potions, along with the two potions on the counter, sending most of their content onto Potter and the remaining onto him. 

The sensation started with him having a tingly feeling in his groin. His pupils were dilating and his skin was feeling a bit warm. He let out a sigh of relief, realizing that it wasn't that bad yet. If they got away from each other now, neither of them would do something they’d regret. Just as Draco started walking towards the back door, though, he felt Harry grab his wrist in a death grip to stop him. The blonde froze. 

“Potter, let me go. We need to get away from each other right now! It’ll only get worse if we don’t. I’ll make another batch for you later. Just leave. My boss is going to give me enough trouble as it is. Please.” Draco pleaded, not looking at the brunette. That is until Harry firmly grabbed his chin and forced him to look up. 

Big Mistake. 

Draco’s eyes widened. How had he never noticed how beautiful Harry was before? His sparkling green eyes, his gorgeous, toned body, his unruly black hair. All the blonde wanted to do was be on Harry or under Harry. Anything! As long as he gets to touch the brunette right that second. His skin was starting to burn, itching for him to touch Harry, to taste him and make him moan in pleasure. Draco’s mind was blank. He couldn’t think of the camera or the potion or the fact that Potter was engaged to someone else. He couldn’t even remember his own vow to lose his virginity to the love of his life. All he could think about was Harry’s face, Harry’s skin, Harry’s arse, Harry’s abs, Harry, Harry, Harry. 

“Harry…” the blonde started, not sure where he was going with the sentence. He just wanted to say the brunette’s name. Not one second after the word was out of his mouth, Harry stuck his tongue in and crashed his lips upon Draco’s. The blonde moaned as he was finally given what he wanted, casting any thoughts of reasons why they shouldn’t do this aside.


	2. The failed Bonding

Harry took a deep breath, or he tried to anyway. He couldn’t get any air through the lump in his throat. His entire body was frozen to the spot and he felt like everything was spinning around him. What was happening to him? This was supposed to be easy, wasn’t it? It was supposed to be the happiest day of his entire life. Why was it so hard for him to just go downstairs already? People were waiting for him. Ginny would be walking down the aisle any minute now. Imagine how pissed she’d be if he wasn’t there! 

**_This IS the happiest day of my life._ **

**_After today, I’ll finally be part of a family….and I’ll have Ginny, of course._ **

**_I am sure every man in the world felt this horrible on their wedding days._ **

**_That’s why they always make jokes about marriage being horrible._ **

**_Mine won’t be horrible._ **

**_I am just stressed._ **

**_That’s it._ **

**_I just need to get through this and come out the other end._ **

**_Then, everything will be fine._ **

“Mate, is everything alright?” Harry heard Ron ask from the doorway. He turned around and plastered a wide smile on, hoping that his eyes didn’t give away how panicked he was at the moment. 

“Yeah, Ron. I just can’t get this stupid thing right,” Harry said, gesturing to his tie. Ron burst out laughing and said “Ginny is going to kill you. You’re not even dressed yet and she is already waiting.” 

With that, the red-head, soon-to-be Harry’s brother-in-law, came forward and adjusted Harry’s tie using a spell, then winked at the brunette and told him to hurry. Harry sighed, forced another smile, and made his way down the stairs, ignoring the increasing feeling of tightness around his heart. That was normal, right? Everything would be alright. He could freak out all he wanted later. He didn’t have time now. Everyone was waiting for him. Ginny was waiting for him. His new family was waiting for him. He couldn’t lose his nerve. He couldn’t do anything wrong today. 

**_Breathe, Harry._ **

**_It’s going to be alright._ **

**_I can have a nervous breakdown later._ **

**_No, actually, I can’t._ **

**_Because Ginny is going to be there and she is going to wonder what’s wrong._ **

**_And I can’t tell her._ **

**_And she’s going to be there for the rest of my life._ **

**_Oh Merlin, I just want to disappear._ **

**_WHY IS IT SO HARD TO BREATHE?!_ **

Harry kept smiling despite his panicked thoughts. They hand exchanged rings and were now holding hands, waiting for the officiate to officially bond them **forever**. Harry wasn’t listening. He didn’t want to. He just wanted this to be over and wasn’t paying attention, which is why he missed the fact that everyone had been staring at him for half a minute. The brunette blinked, frowning as he realized he was the center of attention for some reason. It took him a few seconds to realize that the yellow, translucent, glittery veils erupting from the officiate’s wand had wrapped around Ginny, but had halted halfway between the couple, refusing to wrap itself around Harry and bond them. 

**_Thank Merlin._ **

Harry’s eyes widened. Where had that thought come from? He wanted to do this. He wanted to marry Ginny. 

**_Maybe the pressure is just getting to me._ **

Harry could hear everyone whispering about his ‘purity’, making assumptions. He didn’t understand what was going on. Ginny had told him about what a bonding ceremony is, but he wasn’t really listening, too exhausted after a long study session to do anything but nod along. 

“Perhaps I cast the spell wrong,” Harry heard the officiate say loudly enough for everyone to hear. The same thing happened once he cast the spell, again, though; the veil refused to even come close to Harry. Ginny’s eyes watered and she instantly yanked her hands back and ran down the aisle and out the large doors, all the while crying her eyes out. Hermione got off her seat and followed the red-headed girl out. Harry watched the scene unfold as if he was an outsider, then shook his head and attempted to follow. 

“Ginny…” he yelled out after her, but before he could take a single step down the aisle, Ron’s fist collided with his cheek so roughly, it caused him to collapse on the floor entirely. Luckily, his glasses were charmed to stay on his face no matter what, so he could glare directly at his so-called best friend, who said nothing to him before joining his wife in an attempt to comfort his baby sister. 

Harry got up, ignoring the whispers of the audience and the glances people were throwing him. He turned towards the officiate. 

“Would you mind explaining what just happened?” he hissed, feeling bad about taking it out on the poor officiate but not wanting any more drama to come his way. He had had enough of that for a lifetime with the prophet publishing false ‘facts’ about literally every phase of his life. 

“Perhaps we should discuss this privately,” the officiate said quietly, gesturing towards the hundreds of guests who were intent on listening in on the conversation. 

“Fine,” Harry said, then grabbed the officiates’s arm and apparated them to his house, Grimmauld Place, which Ginny absolutely refused to move into. Their house was closer to the burrow, which Harry didn’t really mind. 

“Alright. What was that veil thing and why wasn’t it bonding us like it was supposed to?” 

* * *

“This isn’t possible,” Harry said breathlessly as he stared at the paper the officiate had just conjured up, which clearly stated he was bonded to Draco Malfoy. 

“Magical documentations of bonds don’t lie, Mr. Pott-”

“They’re wrong!” Harry snapped, unable to comprehend what he was hearing, “I would’ve remembered marrying my childhood rival or...or conceiving a child with him. These are the only two ways a bond could form, right?” 

“Yes, Mr. Potter,” the officiate said calmly. 

**_There’s no way._ **

**_I haven’t seen him in two years._ **

**_Except for three weeks ago, when…_ **

Harry’s thoughts came to a stop there. Why couldn’t he remember what had happened that day? He was in the apothecary and he purchased some potions, but then he somehow left without them and woke up the next day in Grimmauld place, not remembering how he got there. Had Malfoy obliviated him?! That bastard! What the hell had he done to Harry?

“I need to investigate this. Thank you for your input,” Harry said, using the indifferent tone they were taught to use during investigations, “There’s nothing I can say to prevent you from going to the prophet with-” 

“Mr. Potter, all these documents are confidential and so is anything that pertains to them,” the officiate said harshly. Harry gulped at the sudden change of tone. 

“If that is all, I need to take my leave right now,” the officiate said, sounding professional again. Harry nodded and murmured, “Thank you.” 

As soon as the officiate left, Harry’s rage finally caught up with him. He gripped his wand tightly as he focused on the memory of visiting the apothecary, apparating straight into the place. 

“Malfoy, I-” he started to yell but was surprised to find an old man behind the counter when he turned around, one that was glaring daggers at him. 

“Your little boyfriend ain’t here. He got sacked and I don’t give a hoot who you are, **no one** does something so revolting in my apothecary. Didn’t think you’d get caught did ya? Well them magical cameras ain’t for nothin’. Get out,” the old man gritted out, pointing at the door. Harry held his hands up in surrender and sighed, then rubbed his temple. His headache just wouldn’t go away. 

“Can you show me the tape?” Harry asked, dreading what he was about to see. 


	3. Malfoy's Requests

Harry finally found the place. It was an apartment in the most disgusting neighborhood in Blackpool, which is really saying something. Why the hell would Malfoy move out here? Did he want to die of food poisoning or get stabbed or contract some kind of infection? 

The brunette stood in front of the door for a few seconds, contemplating what he should say. What is a good way of telling your childhood rival that you were both forced to have sex and that said rival is pregnant? Harry shook his head, took a deep breath, then knocked on the door twice, deciding to wing it. 

“I swear, I’ll get you the rent as soon as I can. Just please give me a few more days!” he heard Malfoy yell from within the apartment. Harry rolled his eyes. 

“I am not your bloody landlord. Open the door, Malfoy!” Harry yelled, hoping Malfoy wouldn’t argue too much before letting him in. The blonde opened the door instantly and didn’t look all that surprised to see Harry. Draco’s eyes were red, with purple bags underneath them, and, somehow, his entire posture radiated sadness. Harry didn’t know how he knew that Malfoy was in agony, but he did for some reason. 

“Potter, you don’t need to bother me at home. I am having it dealt with next week, then you can marry your precious little red-head without any problems. Goodbye,” the blonde said quickly. The brunette didn’t even have time to open his mouth and say something back before the door was slammed in his face. 

Harry’s chest clenched at the sound of quiet sobbing from behind the door. He stared at the door, wishing he could walk right through it and hold his sad partner until Malfoy felt better. 

“Draco…” 

Harry jerked at the gentleness of his own voice and the train of thoughts he was having. What was the matter with him? Since when did he care about Drac-no, Malfoy’s emotions? 

“Potter, go away. This is just the stupid bond making you care. I am not opening the door. That’s final. If you don’t believe me, here.”

Suddenly, the blonde opened the door, threw a potion vial’s content all over Harry, then instantly closed the door again. He blinked, and, suddenly, the need to comfort the blonde went away entirely and was replaced by the pure horror he felt at Malfoy’s statement. 

**_Surely, he couldn’t mean..._ **

“W-what do you mean ‘you’re having it dealt with’, Malfoy? How long have you known? Why didn’t you tell me?” Harry asked loudly so that Malfoy could hear him through the door. When a few seconds passed and the blonde didn’t respond, Harry sighed and continued to speak. 

“I am not moving from this spot until you talk to me! I’ll go to the bloody prophet and alert every single wizardry clinic and hospital that the baby inside you is  **mine** and that I  **want it** . No healer will agree to what you’re saying after that,” Harry said, hating himself more with every word that passed through his lips. This was ultimately Malfoy’s decision. If the blonde really, really didn’t want to go through with the pregnancy, Harry would back off. But, the brunette couldn’t just let this happen without them speaking first, he needed to know Malfoy’s reasons and let the blonde know that he wasn’t alone. He needed to give Malfoy all the options in the world and then let him decide. Sure, the situation wasn’t ideal, but Harry really wanted the baby. He didn’t want Malfoy to make any rash decisions. He has always wanted children, and he’d do anything in the world for little James. 

“Little James, huh?” 

Harry jumped when he heard Malfoy’s voice from behind the door. 

“H-how did you know that?” Harry stammered, panicked over the precision of Malfoy’s timing and words. 

The blonde giggled slightly through his sniffles and said “The bond allows us to know what the other person is thinking. And, no, I won’t tell you how. I would much rather my thoughts be kept private.”

Harry was just about to lose his temper, to tell the blonde that this was a huge invasion of privacy and that he shouldn’t be taking advantage of the bond like this. He didn’t, though. Malfoy was talking to him. That was all that mattered. Now if Harry could just get him to talk about the-

“I had no idea you wanted a child so badly, Potter, let alone that you’d even think of keeping mine. I have a proposition-” the blonde said quietly, but was interrupted by Harry’s cheerful, loud voice. 

“Anything!” 

Draco opened the door slightly and slipped into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. Apparently, he had no intention of inviting Harry in and didn’t mind speaking about such a sensitive issue out in the open. The blonde let out a deep breath, and looked Harry in the eyes before he started to speak in a serious, firm tone. 

“You agree to an unbreakable vow that you’ll never reveal my identity to anyone who asks about your child’s mother unless you are given my explicit permission. After the birth, I will leave forever and you will never tell the child about who I am. They will be raised as a Potter. As for the bond, we’ll break it after the birth. Then, you’ll be free to move on with whoever you wish. You either agree to all of what I just said, or I will be forced to carry out my own plans.” 

“M-malfoy, why?” Harry asked breathlessly, still in shock over the blonde’s requests. Malfoy only scowled at him in response. 

“There will be no questions from you for the next 8 months and one week. That is another part of the proposition. Don’t test me, Potter. I’ve never been a patient person,” the blonde gritted out, “Do we have a deal or not?”

**_I can’t just agree like this!_ **

**_I don’t want my child to just grow up with one parent!_ **

**_I want them to have everything._ **

**_What kind of person doesn’t even want to see their own child?!_ **

**_How could he do this to the baby?!_ **

Suddenly, the blonde seemed to become paler, if possible, and took back his hand, his mouth hanging open slightly. 

“If you really think that, then maybe my way is better for the both of us,” he said, his voice a bit choked, then looked to side, attempting to hide his wet eyes from Harry. The brunette had already seen, and tilted his head in confusion until he remembered that Malfoy could read his thoughts. 

“I-I didn’t mean that! It-it’s just automatic thinking, you know? But I don’t really feel that way, I-” the brunette quickly said, knowing his statement couldn’t possibly rectify the situation, “You have a deal, Malfoy. I’ll give you everything you just asked for. But-”

“What, Potter? Do you plan to drag this out forever? What do you want from me?!” a red-faced, trembling, crying Draco yelled at Harry, his hands clenched into fists at his side. 

“I want to be present! I want to be there for the milestones in the pregnancy,” Harry automatically said, a bit scared by the blonde’s outburst and his general moodiness. He could never trust Malfoy with this pregnancy alone, not when the blonde felt so...neutral about the child he was carrying, and not when he was so...unstable. 

“Yes, I am aware of what I have been reduced to, thank you very much,” the blonde hissed at Harry, who only looked at the ground in shame. What could he say, though? It’s not like he could control his thoughts and  **Malfoy** was the one reading them! The blonde was the one causing himself pain. 

It seemed like hours before the blonde quietly added “We’ll work something out so you’re involved, but nothing that could possibly alert the wizarding community to the situation. Owls can’t come here, so don’t be so stupid as to send me letters. I’ll send you thoughts with updates, I guess. See you around.” 

With that, Malfoy turned around, slipped back into his apartment, and slammed the door in Harry’s face again just as the brunette was saying “Malfoy, wait!” 

**_What did he mean by that?_ **

_ /I meant I’ll let you know when we’ll meet up again through here./  _

  
Harry jumped again. Hearing Malfoy’s voice in his head was weird to say the least. As he turned around to leave, he could’ve sworn he heard the blonde giggling behind the door at Harry’s reaction. The brunette blushed and quickly ran out to the alley so he could apparate back to the Wizarding world. He had  **a lot** of matters to take care of.


	4. Mind Link

Draco took a break from crying his eyes out to check in on Harry, almost sure that the brunette would be doing something that would certainly give them away. The blonde facepalmed when he reached out through their bond only to discover that the idiot Gryffindor was going to a bookshop to buy male pregnancy books. It wasn’t just any bookshop; it was smackdab in the middle of Diagon Alley! It was almost as if Harry wanted everyone to know. Draco chuckled at the brunette’s cluelessness. It was kind of cute. 

_ / Are you really about to do what I think you are? /  _

**_What was that?!_ **

**_Right...hey Malfoy, do you mind not invading my mind?_ **

_ / I do mind. I mind a lot. / _

_ / If you’re going to continue to do stupid things like this, I am settling in your mind forever. / _

**_What are you talking about?_ **

**_I am just buying a few things to make sure you guys will be alright._ **

Draco paled, as another tear made its way down his cheek. He almost forgot that he was pregnant for a second there, until stupid Potter had to remind him. 

_ “You guys…” _

_ A baby.  _

_ A baby I can never raise, one that I can never know.  _

**_Malfoy?!_ **

Malfoy was snapped out of his thoughts by Harry’s frantic one. He realized he’d been quiet for a while. 

_ / New rule, Potter. You can’t say things like ‘you guys’. In fact, you can’t bring up anything that has to do with my...predicament. /  _

**_WHAT?!_ **

**_Why?_ **

**_How will that work?_ **

_ / You’ll figure it out, and my reasons are none of your business. /  _

**_Fine._ **

**_I am sorry if I upset you._ **

**_I won’t buy anything._ **

_ / Of course, you’re buying something, you stupid gryffindork. /  _

_ / Just put on a disguise at least. /  _

**_Like this?_ ** __

_ / Merlin, Potter, how much stupider can you get?! /  _

**_What?_ **

_ / I obviously can’t see you! /  _

**_How was I supposed to know that?_ **

**_I don’t know anything about this bond nonsense._ **

**_You keep surprising me._ **

_ / Well, I can’t see you. Anything that disguises your identity fully will suffice. /  _

**_Would you rather come with me?_ **

_ / I just told you not to mention anything that has to do with this. /  _

**_B-but this conversation is-_ **

_ / Nice talking to you, Potter. /  _

Draco severed the mind link, grateful that he had been taught everything about bonds as a child. He was even more grateful that Harry didn’t know how to open the mind link back up again. The blonde really didn’t feel like talking to him anymore, but the silence in his apartment was deafening, and he suddenly wished he had taken Potter up on the offer. He didn’t want to participate in anything baby-related, though. This situation was already hard enough as it was; he didn’t want to make it harder for him to let his own child go. The only thing that kept him from breaking down entirely was knowing that it would be in good hands. They may both be nineteen, but Harry had surprised Draco by how much he wanted the child. The blonde had been able to feel Harry’s longing through their bond. He might be an idiot at times, but the brunette had matured greatly since school and he would be a good father. Of that, Draco was sure. 

The next morning, Draco opened the kitchen cabinets to see what he could cook for breakfast. They were completely empty except for an expired pack of ramen noodles. If he had money, he could’ve just walked out and bought something, but he had spent his last paycheck on the previous month’s rent. That, and he was terrified of leaving his apartment altogether. 

Slumping against his couch, the blonde sighed heavily. Usually, he didn’t have a problem going a day or two without actual meals, but now...He couldn’t do that anymore. 

_ I didn’t have anything to eat yesterday, either.  _

_ Oh Merlin, I need to get some food.  _

The blonde’s eyes surveyed the apartment for something,  **anything** he could pawn, but came up with nothing. He closed his eyes in defeat, already dreading what he was about to do. He opened up their mind link, only to be assaulted by the horrible distress Harry was feeling. His next thought slipped through their link without him realizing it. 

_ / Are you alright? /  _

**_Not now, Malfoy._ **

The blonde was about to shut their mind link altogether when the rest of Harry’s thoughts came through. Draco couldn’t stop listening for the life of him. It wasn’t like he was invading Harry’s privacy. The brunette’s life was very much Draco’s business as well. Harry was going to be raising their child, afterall. 

**_She’s being completely unreasonable._ **

**_I can’t believe she actually said I should ‘Get rid’ of the problem._ **

**_How dare she?_ **

**_I am almost glad this whole thing happened._ **

**_What kind of person was I going to marry?_ **

**_And to think I was actually going to ask her to co-parent with me._ **

Draco’s heart stopped. Harry hadn’t taken the unbreakable vow yet. Could he have told Ginny about Draco? Why would he do that? 

The blonde shut off the link, not wanting to hear anymore. Not just because of his suspicions about Harry betraying his secret. Hearing that the brunette wanted Ginny to raise  **Draco’s child** as her own was just...too heartbreaking to think about. 

_ Screw breakfast.  _

_ I don’t feel like eating anything.  _

Draco plopped down on the ‘bed’, which was just a small mattress placed on the floor in the corner of the small apartment, and curled up beneath his blanket, willing himself to just go to sleep already. It didn’t work. He couldn’t get everything that had happened yesterday out of his head. It was all too much. He still felt like crying. It was a wonder he wasn’t dehydrated already. 

**_Did you need something?_ **

Draco shot out of bed, startled by the sudden presence of Harry’s voice. The blonde had closed the mind link, hadn’t he? How was the brunette communicating with him? 

_ / How are you doing that? /  _

**_Thank Merlin, it worked._ **

**_I don’t know what I did._ **

**_I wanted to speak to you and it just...happened._ **

Draco laughed a little at that. The bond wasn’t so hard to figure out, but the blonde had thought Harry wouldn’t bother. 

/ Congratulations, Potter. You are able to do the most simple of actions with a bond. / 

**_Very funny, Malfoy._ **

**_I wanted to check up on you, but if you’re going to be a jerk about it-_ **

_ / Wait! / _

_ / Don’t go. /  _

_ / Sorry. /  _

**_Did you just...apologize to me?_ **

/ Don’t sound so surprised. / 

**_Well...thank you._ **

They both remained in silence for a few seconds before Harry spoke up again. 

**_Did you need something before?_ **

**_I am sorry. I was preoccupied._ **

_ / I just wanted...You know what? It’s stupid. Nevermind. /  _

_ / I shouldn’t have bothered you. /  _

**_Come on, Malfoy._ **

**_I said I wanted to help._ **

**_I can’t if you don’t let me._ **

Draco’s heart warmed at how persistent Harry was. No one had shown him this kind of attention or care in a while. To say he missed it would be an understatement. But Harry was only doing this because of their predicament, not because he actually cared about Draco. That thought brought a twinge to the blonde’s heart. He still couldn’t refuse. He owed it to Harry to make sure their child would be alright. Proper nutrition was a basic requirement for that. What would the blonde say, though? 

_ I don’t have any money to buy myself food. _

_ Care to chip in? _

_ I am too lazy to get up. Can you come by with dinner? _

No. None of that would do. Saying any of that would be humiliating. 

Suddenly, something occurred to Draco. The blonde didn’t actually need food to keep the baby healthy. He could just use potions. Thank Merlin for magic. 

_ / I am going to require a specific potion for the duration of this...predicament. /  _

_ / I was going to ask if you could purchase them for me. /  _

_ / This is all just out of convenience, of course! Because, you know, you live in the wizarding world whereas I don’t. /  _

As soon as Draco’s thought went through the link, the blonde was assaulted with what seemed like a thousand different questions from Harry’s end. 

**_What?_ **

**_Why do you need them?_ **

**_Are you sick?_ **

**_Did you take them before?_ **

**_What kind of potions are we talking about here?_ **

**_Are they safe for you to take?_ **

**_Have they been thoroughly tested?_ **

**_Did you see a healer?_ **

**_I know you’re good at potions, Malfoy, but anything that is self-prescribed just makes me very uncomfortab-_ **

_ / Enough! /  _

_ / What part of ‘no questions’ don’t you understand, Potter? /  _

_ / Forget it. I’ll handle the situation. /  _

**_Fine. Fine!_ **

**_I’ll get them. Just tell me the name and how many you need._ **

**_I’ll bring them over right now._ **

**_But not before I ask Hermione about…_ **

_ / Potter! /  _

**_Sorry. That thought just slipped through._ **

**_But...now that we are on the topic, you do need a healer and Hermione is the best of the best._ **

**_She’d keep it secret._ **

**_I know you said-_ **

_ / I agree. /  _

**_Wait. what?_ **

_ / We’ll go see her after you get the damn potions. Let me know when you’re there and I’ll tell you the name and amount. /  _

With that, Draco closed the mind link, though he was met with some resistance from Harry’s side this time, and flopped back down on the bed, hoping he hadn’t just made a huge mistake in reaching out to Potter. 


	5. The Talk

Draco heard a knock on his door an hour after he told Harry the name of the potion he needed. He jumped, not yet used to having anyone visit him. When he opened the door, his eyes snapped to Harry’s hands, which were empty. 

“I know I said that I’d bring them, but I asked the guy at the apothecary a couple of questions about the potion and, to be honest, I don’t particularly like his answers,” the brunette said quietly, looking Draco in the eyes. His gaze fell to his wrists, but he continued with more confidence, “Can I come in? I would like to talk about this. I want to respect your boundaries, Malfoy, but you’re going to need to respect my wishes, too, and I want to understand everything that is happening here. Is that alright?”

The blonde tilted his head in confusion. Since when was the brunette  **that** mature and tactful? Draco’s eyes followed Harry’s to his wrists, the writing on which Harry tried to hide by pulling on his sleeve. He failed. The blonde burst out laughing. 

“Did...you actually...write that down...on your arms?” Draco asked between laughs. The brunette just grew redder and huffed, then crossed his arms in front of his chest, glaring at the ground. 

“You’re not exactly an easy person to talk to, Malfoy,” Harry gritted out. Suddenly, the blonde felt the absolute terror that the brunette had been experiencing. Harry was afraid of Draco and what he might do if the brunette bothers him even a little bit. 

**_Don’t upset him._ **

**_He might threaten to have an abortion again._ **

“It wasn’t a threat,” Draco instantly said, more to calm the brunette down than to defend himself against Harry’s harsh words. He understood why the brunette would feel that way. Upon seeing Harry’s look of confusion, Draco continued, “I would never threaten to...do that. It wasn’t a threat. I was bluffing. If you broke any of my rules, the most I could do is be a little bit more difficult. But...Potter, if you’re stepping up, I won’t stand in your way, especially in such an inhumane manner.” 

“Thank you, Draco,” the brunette said. Draco smiled slightly in response and stepped closer to his door, hand on the doorknob, intending to go back inside. 

“If there is nothing else…” 

“Yes, there is. Don’t try to distract me. I still want to talk to you about the potions. Can I come in?” Harry said, smiling back and gesturing towards the apartment. Draco froze. Harry would figure out how broke the blonde was the instant he entered the apartment. But Draco also couldn’t go outside; there were too many people outside, and he was too afraid. That only left one option. 

“Could we go to your place instead?” the blonde asked, and sighed in relief when Harry shrugged and held out his arm for a side-apparation. Draco ignored the tingly feeling he got in his stomach the moment he held onto Harry so they could go to Grimmauld Place. 

* * *

Harry apparated them both to Grimmauld place, then led Malfoy to the sofa, where the blonde sat down with a wary expression. The brunette wanted him to be more comfortable, so, before he sat down, he asked if Malfoy wanted tea. The blonde opened his mouth to answer, but, before he could do so, something on the table caught his eye. Draco frowned deeply. Harry looked down and realized that he had left the catalogs of baby products that he had gotten earlier on the table. 

“Er...sorry about those, Malfoy,” Harry said, then quickly picked them up and put them into a bag, setting it out of Malfoy’s view. When he looked back up, the blonde was smiling slightly at him. 

“What?” Harry asked, liking the smile more than he cared to admit. It disappeared instantly as Draco shook his head and said “Nothing.” 

“Oh, come on! Tell me what you’re laughing about. Do all these brands suck or something? Am I messing it up already?” Harry asked, hoping that wasn’t the case. If he was going to be a single parent, he shouldn’t be making these stupid mistakes. He should know these things. He needed to do more. 

_ / I can’t believe he is already doing these things. /  _

_ / He just found out about this yesterday. /  _

_ / It clearly turned his life upside down. /  _

_ / Doesn’t he need a day or two to cope with the news? /  _

_ / Or was that just me? /  _

_ / I guess that’s just another reason he’d be a better father than I ever would. / _

_ / That’s good. At least I know the baby will be more than alright here. /  _

Harry’s chest clenched at the tone. Draco was happy about Harry’s actions but upset about something else. Should he ask? No. The brunette was surprised that the blonde even shared this much. He shouldn’t push. 

“Hey, it was hard for me at first too. When the officiate first told me-” Harry started, then clamped his mouth shut upon seeing the horrified look on Draco’s face. 

“D-did you just hear that?” the blonde asked, wrapping his arms around himself tightly. 

**_Oh._ **

**_He didn’t want me to know._ **

The brunette nodded, then opened his mouth to say something comforting, but was interrupted by Draco. 

“I don’t want to hear it. You brought me here to speak about the potions, so speak  **only** about the bloody potions. I haven’t had breakfast yet and am in no mood for this, Potter,” the blonde snapped, then crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaned back into the couch, and huffed, looking away from Harry. The brunette was instantly on his feet. 

“Malfoy, are you mad? You can’t just skip breakfast like this. Wha-” he started frantically but was once again cut off by the angry blonde. 

“I wouldn’t have had to bloody do that if I had gotten my potions in time!” 

At that, Harry shut his mouth. He knew that he had every right to stay mad at Draco, but that would accomplish nothing. Sure, the blonde could’ve come to the wizarding world and bought the potions, himself, but Harry had promised to help and he should’ve been more attentive to Malfoy’s needs. Fighting with Ginny could’ve waited. Harry was determined to make any baby-related issue his top priority from now on. 

“You’re right, Malfoy. I should’ve heard you out when you first called out to me,” Harry said with a serious tone, looking the blonde in the eye. Draco looked surprised by the brunette’s admission, but, nonetheless, shook his head, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and huffed again. 

“Of course, I am right.” 

The blonde was still frowning and visibly upset. Harry suddenly had an urge to kiss his pouting lips and embrace him tightly. Draco shouldn’t feel bad. 

Suddenly, the blonde burst out laughing. 

“The only things you’re kissing are my feet at this point, Potter. Stop being stupid and, for the love of Merlin, start talking about your bloody problem with the potions. I don’t have all day.” 

Harry blushed furiously. He didn’t know Malfoy was still reading his thoughts. That was humiliating. He needed to explain himself, but he couldn’t find the words. He didn’t want the blonde to think that Harry has feelings for him. That would complicate things a lot and the brunette didn’t want that. 

“Relax, Potter. It is just the bond. You’re not going crazy,” the blonde said, clearly trying to stop laughing. Harry let out a sigh of relief despite the deep humiliation he felt. 

“So, you’re like this too?” Harry asked, tilting his head in confusion. Malfoy didn’t seem any different. The blonde shook his head. 

“The officiate that rudely appeared in my apartment without notice gave me a few potions that counteract the bond’s side effects. I think he felt bad for me after I told him the story of how...this predicament came to be. He suggested I use the potions until we break the bond. That’s what I dumped on you yesterday when you were under the effect. I am not giving you anymore, though. The effects of the bond are a lot more prominent and worse on my side. I can’t risk running out early. ” 

“Oh. So, you found out yesterday as well?” Harry asked. He wasn’t trying to annoy Draco at all. He just thought that, perhaps, the blonde would be able to cope with the situation better if he vented a bit. Apparently, his words just angered Draco further. The blonde instantly shot up and sent Harry a death glare. 

“I thought I told you not to ask any questions, Potter! We’ve been in your house for less than three minutes and so far you’ve broken almost half the rules I’ve set.” 

“Well, maybe they are just stupid rules!” Harry yelled back, having had enough of the blonde’s attitude, “How am I supposed to talk about a potion for the pregnancy if I am not allowed to mention the pregnancy? Malfoy, you’re just being unreasonable!” 

“If you’d just trust that I know what I am doing, we wouldn’t need to have a discussion at all! But you just have to question everything I do. If you can’t even handle a few simple requests or my presence for a few minutes, then perhaps we should get a third person to mediate.” 

“Maybe we should!” Harry yelled back in anger, but, deep down, he knew he didn’t mean it. He didn’t want some stranger making decisions about  **his** child. The brunette would give Malfoy time to cool off and come to his senses. He’d already read that people’s hormones are all over the place during pregnancies, so maybe that was the reason for Malfoy’s weird requests. 

**_I need to get through all these books this week._ **

**_I also need to find a way to talk to him without pissing him off in the process._ **

“Don’t bother. If neither of us is changing their opinion, then there is no sense in trying to get along. We are finding a mediator tomorrow because I am telling you now,  **I** am  **not** changing my mind about my rules,” the blonde said quickly, then threw the powder to the fireplace floor with great force, leaving Grimmauld Place altogether. 

  
“I guess  **I** ’ll be compromising them,” Harry said to the empty room, then sighed deeply, and threw himself on the couch, face down, trying to come up with any means of communication without breaking Malfoy’s stupid rules. 


	6. Revelation

“He’s being a complete arsehole AND he’s unreasonable AND he yells at me about everything. What the hell am I supposed to do? I think he’d manage to get pissed off at me even if I was in a coma. I want to compromise but it seems like all he wants is for me to be bloody mute. I just don’t understand what his problem is.” 

Harry slumped in his seat in Hermione’s office after he was done with his rant. He’d been there for two hours telling her about the past two days. He hadn’t even touched his food even though they were supposed to be having lunch together. 

“Are you done?” Hermione asked, dabbing her lips with a napkin. Once she saw Harry nod, she pointed to the door and glared at him, “Good. Now go apologize to him!” 

Harry simply stared at her with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open. Then, he shook his head and glared right back at her, saying, “Did you hear a single word I said, ‘Mione?” 

“I heard everything. It sounds like Malfoy is laying down his boundaries and you’re ignoring them.” 

“Yes, because they’re stupid boundaries!” Harry said firmly, huffed, then crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

**_How does she not get this?_ **

**_It’s his fault we aren’t getting along, not mine._ **

**_Why is she taking his side?_ **

“He was going to have the pregnancy terminated. I can’t imagine that was an easy choice for him. Now, he is giving his baby up. He’s allowed to be a bit emotional about the situation. You bringing it up won’t help him,” the brunette witch replied with the same tone. 

“No one told him to do that!” 

“We don’t know his circumstances, Harry!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Harry asked, not knowing how else to reply to her accusations. The witch sighed, then bit her lip. 

“The potion you told me about isn’t just any regular nutritional one. It replaces whole meals and all dietary requirements for both the carrier and the child. Do you understand the implication?” Hermione asked gently. 

Harry tilted his head in confusion. He already knew all of this. It was why he had gone to speak to Malfoy about it. The brunette was sure that the blonde had gotten mixed up. What pregnant person would need a potion that supplies them with literally all their food? 

“Did you think that perhaps he has some sort of illness that is affecting his ability to swallow or eat?” Hermione asked after seconds of silence. Harry gaped at her. 

**_No. I didn’t._ **

“What illnesses would that be? H-how bad would it be for the baby?” the brunette asked breathlessly, afraid of the response. 

“It wouldn’t affect the baby at all. Malfoy might have something fatal, Harry. You said he was a lot thinner since the last time you saw him. It’s not that uncommon for carriers in the first month of pregnancy to do so, but there could also be another reason. Perhaps he wanted to end the pregnancy because he wouldn’t be around to take care of the child and thought you wouldn’t want to do it. When you showed up, though, that could’ve changed his mind.” 

**_WHAT?!_ **

“How could he not tell me something like that? I’ve asked him so many times and-” Harry whispered, shocked. 

“And you’re not really someone whose pity he needs,” she pointed out, looking at the brunette with sympathy, “Look, I am not saying that’s the case. I am just saying we don’t know, so maybe you can try to be more patient with him? The situation is far from ideal, but at least he trusts you enough to give you  **his** child forever. He must really be fond of you on some level, Harry.” 

Harry forced a smile, catching on to the fact that she was trying to cheer him up. He didn’t know if it was the bond that was making him feel so horrible all of the sudden, like he should’ve acted better towards Malfoy. The blonde had said the bond only affected them when they were near each other, right? So, why was it affecting Harry now? Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to do freaking something and make things right. 

“Just go to him, Harry.” 

**_For once, I can’t agree more._ **

* * *

Draco sighed as his neighbors took furniture, cabinets, the fridge, and anything worth anything out of his apartment. This was the only way he could think of to be able to pay off his rent and afford some food. He tried to order from the healthiest places he knew so he wouldn’t hurt the baby, but they were expensive and he knew he couldn’t keep this up much longer. It had only been two days and pretty much every single thing in his apartment was gone, save for his bed. 

The blonde leaned against the wall and slid down, looking at the emptiness around him. He put his face in his hands. 

_ What am I going to do?  _

Draco jumped when he heard a knock echo through the small studio apartment. 

“Hey, Malfoy. It’s me. I just want to talk...without any third parties. That was a stupid suggestion. I’m sorry. To be honest, I don’t want to do that at all. I hope you don’t, either.” 

_ I don’t.  _

_ But you’re asking me too many questions.  _

_ Ones I don’t want to answer.  _

Draco knew he would need to answer eventually. It wasn’t the brunette’s fault that Draco’s life was falling apart. Potter didn’t deserve to be treated like this. He was guaranteeing their child a healthy, happy life, one that Draco would never be able to provide. That meant everything to the blonde. Potter was compromising left and right. Draco needed to do the same. 

“Malfoy?” 

Draco took a deep breath, then opened the door and gestured for the brunette to come in. Potter froze in his place the second he stepped foot inside the apartment. He looked around for only a moment, then turned to look Draco in the eye, a shocked expression on his face. The blonde immediately looked down, ashamed of what his life had become. He didn’t want any pity from the brunette. He just wanted to hide in a hole somewhere and never have to see Potter again. 

“Draco, it’s okay,” he heard Harry murmur. That’s when he realized there were tears running down his cheeks. Potter raised a hand, presumably to wipe them away, but then stopped, let his hands fall to his sides, and cleared his throat, continuing, “Pack your stuff. You’ll be staying with me.” 

The blonde nodded silently and went to do as Potter said. How could he say no? He was lucky that Harry wasn’t bombarding him with questions or pitying him or trying to get him to talk about it. The brunette was reacting exactly the way the blonde wanted him to. Was the bond telling him what to do? Or was this just...Harry? 

  
  


Potter silently apparated the both of them to Grimmauld Place, then led the blonde to a guest room, leaving him to “make himself at home.” Once the brunette had shut the door, Draco blinked. He couldn’t believe that any of that had just happened. Why didn’t Harry yell at him for not telling the brunette sooner? Why didn’t he make fun of him or say it was all his own fault? Why didn’t he ask a lot of questions then drag out a very painful conversation just to arrive at the same conclusion: Draco Malfoy, member of the formerly richest family in the wizarding world, didn’t even have enough money to feed himself. 

“Malfoy? Dinner is ready,” he heard the brunette say firmly from the hallway. Draco realized he had been lost in his own thoughts for a while. It had almost been an hour since he arrived at the room. He made his way down to the sitting room, where he remembered a round table for two was present. Sure enough, Harry was sitting on the other side, waiting for him. Strangely, though, the brunette had enlarged the table to fit everything he made for dinner. There was a roasted duck, pizza, fried chicken, rice, pasta, soup, salads, and everything else that the blonde could’ve asked for. He looked up at the brunette with a puzzled expression. 

“I-I didn’t know what you like, so I kind of...made everything,” Potter told him, blushing a bit. Draco took a seat across from him, eyeing everything on the table. He was so hungry, he could eat all of it, but he was sure that would end with him sick, so he decided to start with the soup. 

“You made it?” the blonde asked after a few spoonfuls, “Why don’t you have a hous-elf?” 

Draco felt anger course through their bond. 

_ That’s weird.  _

_ Why would that question make him mad? _

The brunette forced a smile, then shook his head, saying, “No reason. I just don’t need one.” 

Draco felt a need to ask the brunette what he had been angry about, but held himself back. 

_ Why do I care all of the sudden? _

_ Didn’t I just take that bond-blocking potion?  _

_ Was it a faulty one?  _

_ Merlin, am I going to have to make them myself from now on? _

“Thank you, Potter. This was very...nice of you,” Draco said quietly, looking down at his food. 

“You’re welcome.” 

They both smiled, looking away from each other as they finished the meal in silence. 

_ Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought it would… _


	7. 4 Weeks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry's thoughts are in bold italics and Draco's are in italics. If they suddenly follow each other and seem to relate, then the two are having a conversation through their mind link.

Draco remained in his room for the next week, only coming out when Potter called him for meals. Even he knew what to do and what not to do as an unwelcome guest in someone’s house. It was getting pretty lonely, though. He had nothing but his thoughts to keep him occupied, and they were wreaking havoc on him. 

_ What am I going to do after the birth?  _

_ I have no job.  _

_ No money.  _

_ No friends.  _

_ No life.  _

_ I can’t even take two steps out of my apartment without breaking down entirely and running back inside.  _

A knock sounded through the room, snapping the blonde out of his thoughts. He quickly got off the bed and opened the door for Harry, raising an eyebrow at the brunette’s timing. It was midnight. What was he doing up? Didn’t he have to get up at 6 AM everyday? 

“Hey...Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could have another one of these potions that the officiate gave you?” Harry said, looking at the floor and fidgeting with his hands. 

“Absolutely not, Potter. I already told you I can’t risk running out,” Draco said firmly, scowling. He knew that there was no way he would actually use up all the supply that the officiate gave him; it was enough for a year and a half. It was kind of funny to see the brunette squirm, though, and Draco was a bit curious as to why Harry needed the potion. 

“I’ll buy you more in the morning,” Harry said quickly, “Please, Malfoy. I have a very important test tomorrow and I haven’t been able to focus at all!” 

The blonde rolled his eyes. 

“They don’t sell them in apothecaries. People usually like the effects of bonds and don’t want to get rid of them. We’re just the exception, but I’m sure you’re used to that, so it shouldn’t bother you.” 

Potter looked furious as he glared at Malfoy with his hands clenched into fists by his side. 

“We both know you can floo call the officiate and ask for more. Why do you have to be so difficult, Malfoy?!” Harry snapped.

Draco burst into laughter. 

“I’m bored and, to be honest, I am finding the effects of the bond quite entertaining,” he said with a smirk. 

“Of course, you find it entertaining! You’re not the one who has to deal with a mopey, distraught partner who won’t come out of his room so you can check on him!”

The blonde’s smile instantly faded after that comment. He slammed the door in Harry’s face, ignoring the brunette’s frantic apologies, then pulled a box of potion vials out of his suitcase, opened the door again, and shoved the box into the brunette’s arms. 

“This should be enough for the week. If my presence still bothers you after that, I’ll look into alternate living arrangements,” he declared, then attempted to close the door, only to be stopped by Harry pushing back against it. 

“Malfoy, wait. You don’t bother me. I’d barely even notice you if it wasn’t for the bond. I just feel really bad. I know this is tough on you, but I want you to...I don’t know...be as happy as you can be? Please, could you tell me what I could do to make you feel better, at least? There must be something,” the brunette said, a certain determination in his eyes. Draco sighed and shook his head. 

“There isn’t anything.” 

The blonde’s heart throbbed unexpectedly when he saw the devastated expression on Harry’s face. 

_ Stupid blocker potions that don’t even work!  _

“Potter,” he called out when Harry turned around to leave. The brunette turned back towards him with a smile. 

“Yes?” 

“Er…What’s that test about?” Draco asked, not knowing what else to say. He just knew that there was an ache in his entire body, pushing him to do anything to make the brunette feel better. And it wasn’t like he had anything better to do. 

The brunette seemed surprised by the question, but answered, nonetheless. 

“Ethics in Auror work,” he said, “It’s the most important one. I need a B so I could become certified, but I just suck at memorization, especially because I don’t understand any of it. It’s in gibberish.” 

The blonde facepalmed. 

“It’s called Legal English. You’ll be expected to write reports in similar syntax,” 

“Whatever, it’s the most useless-wait. How’d you know that?” the brunette asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. 

“Father taught me. Aurors can be very sneaky at times. They use that kind of thing to trick you into signing documents you don’t understand. It’s a valuable skill,” Draco explained, frowning at the memory. He had been thirteen at the time. All he had wanted to do was enjoy a summer in the sun, but his father felt differently. 

**_A valuable skill that still didn’t keep him from being executed by the Aurors..._ **

The blonde’s eyes snapped up to meet Harry’s horrified ones. 

**_I-I didn’t mean to say that or-or think that._ **

**_Sorry._ **

**_I-I am sorry for your loss._ **

Malfoy huffed in annoyance. 

_ Do you want my help or not?  _

The brunette shrugged. 

**_If you don’t mind…_ **

Draco nodded, then followed Harry to his room. They worked all night. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad. After an hour around the brunette, the blonde had forgotten what he was sad about in the first place. He was sure that his problems would come racing back to him the moment he was alone again, but, for now, he decided to enjoy the company. 

There was also the fact that it was Harry who Draco was spending time with. The brunette was too kind for his own good, always asking the blonde if he was getting tired and reassuring him that it would be fine if he retired to his room. Draco usually hated attention, but, when it came from Harry, it just caused warmth to spread through his heart. He felt cared for, looked after, and loved. The blonde decided to ignore the fact that Harry was being influenced by the bond. He decided to pretend, if just for that night, that the brunette actually cared for him. 

* * *

Draco was jolted out of sleep by Harry calling out his name from downstairs. The blonde was just about to exit his room to see what the brunette wanted, when Harry was suddenly in his face, looking happier than the blonde had ever seen him and rambling about how he got the highest grade on the test. 

“I didn’t think I would pass, even. I can’t believe I did so well. Thank you so much, Malfoy. I would’ve been held back from my group if it wasn’t for you. You have no idea how much this means to me! And the fact that you stayed up until after dawn just for me...Thank you. I thought we could go out to celebrate...you know, maybe grab a cup of coffee or something? What do you say?” Harry asked, his tone changing from excited to breathless to quiet all within a few seconds. 

Malfoy beamed because of all the praise Harry was giving him. That is, until the brunette asked him to  **go outside** the house. Draco’s heart stopped. Outside…In the wizarding world…Where everyone knew what he had done. They would all judge him. Maybe even throw stuff at him. Glare at him in the streets. Call him names. Whisper about him. Warn their children when he gets near them. 

_ No.  _

_ I-I can’t go outside.  _

_ I can’t ever go outside!  _

The blonde didn’t even realize he had spoken the thoughts out loud until Harry gave him a worried look. 

“Oh, why?” 

Draco’s eyes widened in horror. He felt too exposed, too vulnerable. He didn’t want to talk about this anymore. He couldn’t tell Harry the reason. He didn’t want to seem pathetic, so he started to yell.

“Why? Why?! B-because we’re not friends. I helped you study because you’ll be raising a child in eight months, and you can’t afford to be held back! You’re pathetic, Potter. How do you expect to take care of a kid when you can’t even pass one lousy test?! I honestly should’ve expected this from you. You have no idea what it’s like to take some responsibility for once!” 

Malfoy watched as a dark shadow passed on Harry’s features. He almost hoped that the brunette would yell back, even the scales a bit, so the blonde wouldn’t feel so horrible about what he said. But Harry said nothing. He merely shook his head and left the room, slamming the door behind him. 


	8. 5 Weeks

For the next week, Harry didn’t bother to knock on Malfoy’s door during meals, only leaving them in the fridge for the blonde to heat up whenever he was hungry. He was beyond pissed at Draco because of what he had said. He kept trying to tell himself that it wasn’t true, but, deep down, he was terrified that he wouldn’t be able to raise a child on his own. He kept thinking back to the argument he had had with Ginny two weeks earlier. 

**\- Flashback -**

“Harry, you’re nineteen. I’m eighteen. I don’t even know what I want out of life yet. You can’t expect me to settle down and raise some other guy’s kid!” Ginny yelled, looking the brunette in the eye. He sighed in response.

“Gin, I don’t  **expect** you to do anything. I just don’t want it to change things between us,” Harry said firmly in response. 

“How? How could it not change things? I’ll have to live in the same house and see the kid and be woken up by them at night and-and I’ll have to help, Harry! You’ll want me to help, eventually. You’re just saying this now because you just don’t know what it’s like. You’ll go crazy. My mother went crazy and she had my dad and all my brothers helping her out. It’s not as easy as you think-” Ginny started, then trailed off, looking at the ground. 

“I don’t think it’ll be easy, but it’s the reality of the situation. What do you want me to do about it?” the brunette asked calmly, walking across the room and taking a seat. They had been at this for hours and his legs were growing tired. 

“I don’t know. I’m not blaming you, love. I know it was beyond your control, but-maybe there’s another way? Maybe this guy could, you know, take care of it?” the red-head asked, still not looking at Harry. 

**_How could you say that?_ **

“Gin-” 

“You don’t even have to talk to him. Just tell me who it is and I’ll do it,” Ginny said with a determined look in her eyes, after they had snapped up to meet Harry’s. 

“I told him I wouldn’t say anything…” the brunette murmured, putting his face in both his hands. 

“Then you’re going to have to talk to him, yourself. You can make me the bad guy, but, please, just do this for us. I have a career ahead of me. I just made the Holy Harpies. I’m not ready to give that up just yet. I mean, I’m not even sure I ever wanted to have kids-”

Harry’s head snapped up at that, his mouth hanging open.

**_Why wouldn’t you tell me that?!_ **

“What? You’re joking, right?” he asked, breathlessly. 

“Not you, too, Harry. I’ve told you countless times that I don’t want to be like my mother. I don’t want to be a baby machine-” Ginny started angrily, but was cut off by Harry. 

“Yes and I’m not asking you to be one, but you never said you didn’t want kids at all! You know how much having children means to me. I told you that right when we started dating!” Harry snapped, unable to believe what he was hearing. 

“That was three years ago! And-and, of course,  **you** ’d want kids! You’re not the one who is going to have to give up their entire lives for them. You’ll still have your job and your friends and everything. I’ll be stuck at home with them. I know how these things work, Harry. Guys always promise to be there, but the second the mother needs them, they’re too busy with their own lives. Perhaps it was alright for my mother, but I don’t want to be that way.” 

“Let me get this straight,” the brunette said with a serious tone, “So, you don’t want to have kids with me. You don’t want to support me when I’m in a tight spot. You don’t even trust me enough to keep my word about helping you when we do have kids...why care we even together, Ginny?” 

“Because we love each other!” Ginny all but screamed, tears running down her face. She slowly walked up to where Harry was sitting and knelt down in front of him, taking both his hands in hers and looking up at him with pleading eyes, “All that other stuff doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, you’ll get to go home to someone who makes your entire world just...shine. You do that for me, Harry. Don’t I do that for you?” 

The brunette exhaled shakingly. Every single bone in his body begging him to just say yes and tell Malfoy to have the abortion. It seemed like that would make things better for everyone. That is, everyone but Harry. He didn’t care how complicated the situation was. He didn’t want Malfoy to have an abortion. He wanted his kid! He wanted to raise them. He wanted that with all his heart. So, he slowly pulled his hands away from Ginny’s, looked her in the eyes, and spoke. 

“I really hope you find someone who can give you all you want, Ginny.” 

**\- End of Flashback -**

It had been a rushed decision, but not a reckless one. If he could go back in time, Harry would do it again in a heartbeat. That didn’t mean his current situation didn’t suck, though. Ginny had been enraged and effectively destroyed his relationship with every member of the Weasley family, including Ron. He was surprised that Hermione was still speaking to him. The prophet, of course, had gotten wind of what happened during the wedding and published countless articles painting Harry as a heartless playboy who had knocked up some poor girl with the promise of marrying her, then fled, only to be outed during his wedding with Ginny. 

His reputation was ruined. His only family in the world wasn’t speaking to him, and he had lost all his friends but one. Even Hermione hadn’t been able to hang out with him as much because she was always with Ron. So, when Malfoy had helped him out with the test, Harry had stupidly thought that the blonde was extending an olive branch, that he could have him as a friend during these lonely times. Of course, that wasn’t the case, and the brunette felt more miserable than he had ever been. 

On the eighth day after the test, Harry graduated training and was given a day off before his job started. He still didn’t want to see the blonde, so he decided to take his own breakfast up to his room. He was closing the fridge door after having left Malfoy’s breakfast in there, when the blonde suddenly appeared beside him. Harry didn’t acknowledge him or his guilt, which reached the brunette through their mind link. He just shut the refrigerator door and proceeded to walk away. 

“Congratulations on graduating,” Malfoy said from behind him, trying to sound casual, but Harry could detect the hint of nervousness in the blonde’s voice, “So, when are you going to officially start?” 

“Tomorrow.”

The brunette gave no further elaboration as he picked up his own tray and headed towards the stairs. 

“It’s bad for your back to have meals in bed, Potter.”

Harry groaned. He didn’t want to be dragged into a conversation with Draco. He knew exactly what the blonde was doing: trying to get them back to “normal.” Malfoy felt guilty and was trying to prove to himself that the brunette wasn’t that mad at him by engaging in a civil conversation with Harry. 

**_Maybe if I sit with him, he’ll shut up…_ **

So, Harry sat across from Malfoy, who was already seated at the table with his breakfast in front of him. The brunette picked up the daily prophet in an attempt to avoid looking at Draco. That only made him feel worse, since there was another article about his cheating in there. He huffed, folded the paper, and put it aside. 

“I don’t know why you bother buying these. They’re absolute rubbish,” Malfoy told him. Harry shrugged in response. They were both silent for what seemed like hours before the blonde spoke up again. 

“I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t mean what I said. It’s not that I didn’t want to go out with  **you** . I just- I didn’t want to leave at all,” Draco said quietly. Harry glanced at the blonde, who looked upset. The urge to make him feel better was strong, which was odd, because the brunette had called the officiate and gotten his own batch of bond-blocking potions. 

“You could’ve just said that. You didn’t have to yell at me or-or say those things,” Harry gritted out. Malfoy’s guilt was now visible in his expression, not just their mind link. 

“I did say that! You asked me why,” the blonde said defensively, crossing his arms in front of his chest and looking away from Harry. 

“You could’ve said you didn’t want to talk about it!” Harry scoffed. Malfoy slumped in his seat. 

“Fine! I was wrong. Are you happy now? Will you finally stop ignoring me? I’m already bored enough without you doing that” the blonde said frantically.

“I don’t know, Malfoy. What you said  **was** pretty hurtful. It might take me a bit to get over it,” Harry said with a smirk, suddenly wanting to tease the blonde. He liked Draco more when the blonde was this expressive. Harry didn’t want that to end yet. 

“Come on. I apologized, didn’t I? I-I can also give you some of the potions if you’d like,” the blonde whined. Harry shook his head. 

“I have enough. I went to the officiate. And, besides, you gave me a whole box the night before the test, remember?” he said, digging into his pancake. He looked up when Malfoy didn’t reply for half a minute. 

“What?” the brunette asked upon seeing the look of shock on Malfoy’s face. The blonde quickly shut his mouth, which had been hanging open, and looked down at his plate. 

“So...you...er...took a blocking potion before we studied that night?” the blonde asked, blushing a bit. 

**_Why is he acting so weird?_ **

“Yes, I did. Why? Did you want all the potions back or something?” the brunette asked. Malfoy shook his head and continued to speak without looking at Harry. 

“No. No. That’s alright. You can keep them. I gave them to you. I just didn’t know you took one,” the blonde murmured. 

_ I thought you were being nice to me because the bond was forcing you to be.  _

“Well, I did,” Harry said firmly, choosing to answer Malfoy through the link as well. 

**_I was being nice because you deserve it._ **

**_You’re going through so much trouble to give me a child._ **

**_You deserve all the kindness in the world._ **

**_Thank you, Draco._ **


	9. 7 Weeks

“You’re exactly seven weeks pregnant. Everything looks good. The baby might not be very visible, but if you want, we can try-” Hermione started, but was cut off by the blonde sitting across from her. 

“Is it necessary for the fetus’s health that you do an ultrasound?” he asked with a cold tone. Hermione glanced at Harry, who was sitting next to the blonde, then looked back at Draco and shook her head. 

“No.” 

“Would it be harmed in any way if we skip the ultrasound?” the blonde asked with a raised eyebrow. The healer shook her head again. So, he continued, “Then I don’t want it. Is there anything else we should know about? I don’t want to spend my entire day here.” 

“She’s only trying to help, Malfoy,” Harry said, the disappointment clear in his tone, “And it would be nice to see the baby. I actually wanted to keep a picture, you know, for memories?” 

The blonde rolled his eyes at that. 

“Are you deaf, Potter? I said no.” 

“She’s just going to point her wand at you. Nothing more. It isn’t-” Harry tried again, seeming more desperate to see the baby than annoyed by the blonde’s attitude. 

“For the last time: no. It’s my body. I don’t see why you get to have any say in it,” Draco said firmly, then crossed his arms around his chest and looked back at Hermione, who didn’t seem bothered by his response. 

“Alright. As I was saying, everything looks good, but my tests have detected that you have a deficiency, Mr. Malfoy. You’re going to have to take some potions to raise your iron levels,” the brown-eyed witch said, writing down the name of the potions and passing it to Harry, who looked very alarmed. 

“What causes this? How bad is it? Were the potions tested on pregnant males before? Because sometimes they just test them on pregnant females and declare that the potion is okay for all pregnant people, which is absolute rubbish. I-” Harry started frantically, but was interrupted by Draco. 

“For the love of Merlin, drop me off at home if you’re going to ask meaningless questions. She’s told you the problem and given you a solution. Obviously they’ve tested it on males. Granger is a lot of things but she isn’t stupid.” 

“Thank you, I think, but Harry is free to ask as many questions as he wants,” the healer said, then turned towards Harry and continued, “You can come back alone tomorrow and I’ll tell you everything.” 

“As for you, Mr. Malfoy,” she said, turning back to Draco, “You’re going to have to stop taking the bond-blocking potions from now on. They counteract the effects of the iron potions.”

The blonde’s blood ran cold. 

_ No.  _

_ I can’t do that at all.  _

_ I am already finding it hard to resist Harry  _ **_with_ ** _ the potions.  _

_ Merlin, why does he have to be so nice and attractive?!  _

_ If I don’t take the blocking potions, I’ll go crazy.  _

“Wait,” Draco said firmly, gripping Harry’s arm to prevent the brunette from getting up, like he was about to do, “I can’t do that.” 

Harry huffed in frustration then started speaking to Malfoy through their mind link. 

**_Malfoy, Hermione has been nothing but supportive._ **

**_Why do you insist on making the situation worse?_ **

Draco shook his head. 

_ I’m not! _

_ I swear!  _

_ I just can’t go off the potions.  _

_ The officiate said the bond gets stronger when there’s a child involved.  _

_ I don’t want- _

“Is everything alright?” Hermione asked, looking concerned. Malfoy sent Harry a pleading look, mouthing “Please.” The brunette nodded slightly, though he still looked confused. 

“Is there another way to treat this?” he asked the witch who looked surprised at the question. 

“A nutrition specialist can set up a diet for you…” Hermione started, but trailed off once she saw that Draco was shaking his head. He could see that she was waiting for an explanation, but it was a bit embarrassing. He didn’t want to say it out loud. 

_ I’m not allowed to see any healers… _

_ It was part of my sentence.  _

_ I can’t even step foot in St. Mungo’s.  _

_ No one with a dark mark can. _

Harry’s eyes widened at that. He looked at Malfoy with a shocked expression. 

**_Are you serious?_ **

**_How are you supposed to get treated if anything happens to you?_ **

The blonde only shrugged in response. Hermione cleared her thought, then responded as if she could hear their thoughts. 

“I meant a muggle healer. They wouldn’t be able to detect the pregnancy if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

Draco was sure Harry could feel his distress through their mind link, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t muster enough strength to hide anything from the brunette at the moment. His mind was torturing him, sending anxiety all throughout his body. He couldn’t go to a muggle doctor. He was barely able to come to Hermione today. He had been so anxious about this visit, he’d stayed awake all night. 

“Malfoy? Are you alright?”

Harry’s voice broke the blonde out of his stupor. When he looked up, both Harry and Hermione were staring at him. He was just about to nod just to end the conversation. He couldn’t come up with a single excuse as to why he couldn’t see a muggle doctor that would make sense to either of them. 

“I’m perfectly fine. Thank you. Can you just prescribe translatio?” he said, trying to sound as calm as he could. He fought the urge to snap at Granger when she immediately started shaking her head, a horrified look on her face. 

“That potion is for mothers who are terminally ill-”

“I’m aware,” he said calmly. 

“What are you two talking about? What is that potion?” Harry asked, interrupting their glaring contest. Hermione sighed and began to explain. 

“It transfers any minerals or vitamins that a fetus lacks, from the mother to the baby. But it isn’t safe. If the deficiency is at dangerous levels, the mother could die-” 

“Let’s just hope the deficiency isn’t that bad, then!” 

They were all silent for a few minutes after Malfoy’s statement. Then, the blonde heard Harry’s calm voice through their mind link. 

**_What do you need?_ **

**_Just tell me exactly what it is._ **

**_Don’t beat around the bush._ **

**_I won’t ask any questions and I won’t tell Hermione._ **

Draco thought about how to phrase it for a second, then replied with a tone he hoped was confident, even though the excuse, itself, made no sense whatsoever. He was almost sure Harry would make fun of him. He closed his eyes and spoke through their link. 

_ I don’t want to go to any hospital, muggle or magical.  _

_ And I don’t want to interact with any healers except for Granger.  _

**_Alright._ **

The blonde’s eyes snapped open. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard, that the brunette would really agree to his unreasonable terms. He looked up and, sure enough, Harry had come up with a way where all of Draco’s requests would be granted. 

“Is there a potion that could project his illnesses onto me? So, I’d just go to a magical doctor and they’d give me the exact diet they would’ve given him? And then he could just follow it?” 

Hermione’s mouth hung open for a second, but she said nothing. The serious look on Potter’s face must’ve let her know that he didn’t want any arguments. She sighed and wrote down the name of the potion, then bid them goodbye. 

Harry apparated them both back to Grimmauld place, then immediately let go of Draco’s arm, giving him a serious look. 

“I am going to go get this potion, alright?” he murmured, “I’ll be right back.” 

Draco grasped his hand before he could leave and gave him a smile. 

_ Thank you, Harry. _

**_Don’t mention it, Draco._ **


	10. 10 Weeks

Harry didn’t know what to do. For a week after their visit with Hermione, his relationship with Draco had been steadily improving. They ate every meal together, watched movies to pass the time at night, and sometimes even talked about Harry’s cases. Draco’s presence wasn’t all that bad, but it was nothing like his life would’ve been had he chosen Ginny. The brunette  **hated** comparing the two situations, but his mind did it without his permission. 

Ginny was kind and caring while Malfoy was just...always indifferent towards everything. Ginny used to ask the brunette about his day, whereas Harry felt like Draco was only listening to him out of courtesy. Ginny would sometimes surprise him with random gifts and romantic gestures. Of course, there would be no reason for Draco to do that, but agreeing to the ultrasound would’ve been nice of the blonde. Overall, it didn’t seem liked the blonde cared about Harry or his happiness one bit, but it didn’t matter. 

**_He’s giving me a child._ **

**_The thing I wanted most in life._ **

**_I owe him everything._ **

All that changed after their second visit to Hermione, three weeks after their first. The witch’s face immediately fell after she ran the tests to see whether Draco’s iron-based diet had worked. 

She shook her head where she stood and the three of them went silent, until Draco suddenly made the worst joke in the world. 

“So, about that translatio potion?” he asked, drumming his fingers on the desk between them impatiently. 

“Very funny, Draco. You’re not taking it. End of discussion!” Harry said firmly. To his surprise, the blonde didn’t fight him on the matter and didn't claim that it was none of the brunette’s business. He merely shrugged, then sighed and sent his thoughts to Harry. 

_ Fine.  _

_ We’ll try the other potions.  _

_ But remember that this was your decision.  _

_ For when I get too...clingy.  _

The brunette felt strong insecurity radiating off of the blonde and quickly tried to assure him that it would be alright. Harry placed a tentative hand on Draco’s and squeezed. 

**_I won’t mind._ **

**_I promise._ **

Draco’s head snapped up and he looked at the brunette with a surprised expression. 

“Really?” 

Harry smiled. 

“Yes, really.” 

The blonde blushed furiously and nodded his head, then said something that surprised both Hermione and Harry. 

“You can do the ultrasound and...get the picture,” he murmured, then got up, lifted his shirt, and laid back on the table for Hermione. 

**_Are you sure about this?_ **

_ Positive.  _

Hermione immediately cast a spell on the tiny, barely visible, bump in Draco’s stomach. Almost instantly, a projection of the ultrasound manifested on the opposite wall. Harry felt tears welling up in his eyes as he saw the- 

“Wait. Are-are those?” he stammered, unable to believe what he was seeing. 

“Twins. Yes,” Hermione said cheerfully, “Would you like to hear the heartbeats?” 

Harry’s heart was bursting with joy. He immediately nodded his head. 

“Yes! Of course, we want to hear them. Oh Merlin, they’re so beautiful. Draco, look at-” 

The brunette instantly clamped his mouth shut when he looked at the blonde, who was looking to the side, away from the projection and had tears running down his cheeks. 

_ Cast a muffliato on me.  _

**_Draco, we don’t have to hear-_ **

“Just do it, Potter!” the blonde yelled, still looking away. Harry nodded and cast the charm, then turned to Hermione, who had a sad look in her eyes, and told her to make the heartbeat audible. 

* * *

Draco locked himself in his room as soon as they got home and didn’t come out again. Harry was happy that he got to see his children, but confused over the blonde’s reaction. The brunette wouldn’t have pushed Draco if he knew the ultrasound would upset him so much. Harry just thought that the blonde didn’t care about the babies. Why else would he give them up? 

**_Could there be another reason?_ **

**_Maybe he wants to keep them, but...can’t?_ **

**_Everything is fixable, though._ **

**_It’s not the best situation for me, either._ **

**_But I am, at least, trying to make it work!_ **

**_Why won’t he try, too?_ **

All that thinking got to him; he developed a headache and retired to bed early, but couldn’t fall asleep. About three hours later, he gave up and tossed his blankets aside, getting out of bed entirely and deciding to drink a cup of warm milk so he could fall asleep. When he was descending the stairs, though, he froze as he heard choked sobbing coming from the sitting room. Malfoy was on the couch, staring longingly at the picture of the ultrasound that Harry had left on the table, and crying his eyes out. 

The brunette stood there, on the step, not knowing what to do. 

**_Should I talk to him?_ **

**_This seems like a very private moment._ **

**_Draco doesn’t even like to talk when he’s happy._ **

**_There’s no way he’d appreciate me trying to talk to him when he’s this upset._ **

Just as Harry was about to go back up the stairs, he heard Draco call him. He turned towards the blonde, his face red with embarrassment. The only thing worse than talking to a crying Draco is being caught eavesdropping on him then walking out of the room. 

“It’s alright. I’m not upset at you,” the blonde murmured as Harry sat down next to him, then looked back at the picture in his hand lovingly. “They’re just so beautiful.” 

“Those don’t seem like tears of joy, though,” Harry said absentmindedly. To his surprise, Draco didn’t yell, but he didn’t answer him, either. The blonde simply pointed at one of the twins and spoke. 

“This one kind of looks like you,” he said excitedly. Harry squinted at the picture, wanting to know how the hell Draco saw anything but two very vague figures. When he failed at identifying any features, he decided to humor the blonde. 

“And the other one looks like you,” he said in the same tone that Draco did. The blonde burst out laughing. 

“Twins look the same. They both look like you, but that’s okay. I wanted them to look like you,” Draco said, looking at Harry with a strange expression. 

**_Why is he acting so weird?_ **

**_Must be making fun of me…_ **

“Yes, very funny Malfoy. I know you don’t want the kids to have my ‘bird nest-like hair,’” Harry said, laughing a bit. If insulting Harry would cheer the blonde up, then the brunette wouldn’t mind being insulted. 

Draco only looked more upset, though and Harry didn’t know why. 

“That’s not what I meant, Harry. You’re very attractive despite that unruly hair of yours. Besides, if they looked like me, then people might actually figure out who carried them, and then...they’ll be shunned. I don’t want that for them,” the blonde whispered, a stray tear making its way down his cheek as his lips quivered. 

**_Is that why he wants to give them up?_ **

**_That’s the entire reason?_ **

**_It’s easily fixable!_ **

Before Harry could ask about it, the blonde suddenly threw himself at Harry, saying “Don’t be upset about me being sad. Being with you makes me feel better about everything. Remember when we studied for your test? I never wanted that night to end.” 

Harry raised an eyebrow at Draco, who was still embracing him. 

“Er...Malfoy, are you feeling okay?” he asked, awkwardly putting his arms around the blonde. 

“Of course, I am! I thought I shouldn’t complicate things between us at first, but that was stupid of me. I mean, why let these seven and a half months go to waste when we can be together, right? It might hurt when I have to leave, but the good memories will always stay with us after that. Don’t you agree?” the blonde said, pulling away from the hug to look Harry in the eye. The brunette tilted his head in confusion. 

Malfoy’s eyes almost looked different. They were...softer, kinder. Harry couldn’t explain it, but he felt like he was seeing the genuine Draco, that the blonde was finally opening up. There would only be one reason for that. 

“Draco, has the last bond-blocking potion you took worn off?” he asked as gently as he could. 

“I am not sure,” the blonde said, confused by the sudden question, “What does that have to do with anything?” 

“Well, I think it has and-and it might be the case that you wouldn’t be saying those things if it hadn’t,” Harry said softly. This was new territory. He didn’t know how he should treat Draco when he was off the potions. So, he just went with his gut: be as gentle and sweet as possible. 

“Maybe...Bonds do enforce a certain level of communication among partners, but I don’t mind. I like talking to you.” 

**_I like talking to him, too._ **

**_But only when he’s off the potion._ **

**_So, when he isn’t being himself._ **

**_This isn’t right._ **

**_I can’t talk to him while he’s like this._ **

**_I’d be taking advantage…_ **

**_Which is probably what he was worried about in the first place._ **

“Er...me too, but don’t you want to get some sleep?” Harry asked, gesturing towards the stairs that led to their bedrooms. Draco instantly smiled. 

“Will you come with me? If we sleep in the same room until the birth, it’ll be easier for you to know if anything happens,” the blonde explained. Harry internally rolled his eyes. 

**_Yes, I am aware._ **

**_I am the one who suggested this when you first moved in._ **

**_I believe you responded by kicking me in the bollocks._ **

“Er...I really want to, Draco, but I can’t,” Harry said firmly. Suddenly, the blonde’s sweet, loving expression was replaced with a frown and him glaring at the brunette, crossing his arms around his chest. 

“Why not?” Draco snapped. 

“I-I get up early in the morning! Yeah, that wouldn’t be good for the baby, if you wake up to my alarm,” Harry quickly said. 

“It wouldn’t be bad for the baby and you don’t even set an alarm! Admit it, Potter! You just don’t want to spend any time with me!” The blonde screamed at Harry, then turned around and ran back up to his room, locking the door again. The brunette followed, but could do nothing but stand there and yell apologies through the door while suppressing a groan. 

**_This is going to be a long week..._ **


	11. 11 Weeks

Draco ignored the incessant banging coming from behind his door. He knew he’d have to come out sooner or later, but he’d rather not until he absolutely had to. The previous week had passed by in a blur. He hadn’t expected the bond to affect him so much. It was only  _ after _ he was back on the potions that the officiate dropped in unannounced, yet again, and informed him that going off the potions would result in serious withdrawal symptoms, greatly amplifying the effects of the bond on his end. 

_ Stupid officiate.  _

_ Couldn’t he have told me that before I stopped taking the potion?  _

_ He could’ve saved me from making a complete idiot of myself.  _

Flashbacks of the previous week came back instantly when Draco started taking the potion again after his iron levels went back to normal He hadn’t left his room since. He remembered throwing himself at Potter more than once, getting rejected every time, opening up about many personal things, and acting like a damsel in distress the whole seven days. It was mortifying, but he was sure things would get worse when he left the room, though. He had admitted to wanting the babies at some point and told Harry one of the reasons he was giving them up. The brunette would surely never shut up about  **that** . 

“Malfoy, come on! I know you’re embarrassed, but you don’t have to be! I know you didn’t mean to say or do any of that. You heard the officiate; it was just the potions. Won’t you come out? I won’t hold anything against you,” Harry said. It was the same thing he had been saying for six minutes straight, only with the wording changed. 

_ When is he going to get bored already?!  _

**_Maybe never._ **

Draco huffed. 

_ Why do you need me to come out so badly?  _

_ Just leave the food in the fridge like you used to.  _

_ I’ll eat it when you leave.  _

**_No way._ **

**_If you don’t come out within the next five minutes, I’m calling in sick for work._ **

Draco huffed in annoyance. He knew Harry wasn’t joking. The brunette might actually call in sick and camp out in front of Draco’s door until the blonde makes an appearance. He had no choice but to come out if he didn’t want that happening. 

“You have to promise not to mention anything I did or said!” Draco yelled at the door, then sighed in relief when Harry said he wouldn’t. 

* * *

True to his word, the brunette said nothing about the past week as they sat down for breakfast. That is...for the first five minutes or so.

“About what you said-” he started, but was interrupted by Malfoy throwing a glass of water on his face. 

“I knew you wouldn’t shut up about it! I don’t know what I was thinking coming down here,” Malfoy yelled. He was about to get up when Harry reached out and squeezed his hand tightly. 

“Just let me say this one thing, please!” the brunette begged, staring at Draco with wide, pleading eyes. The blonde just had to give in. He gestured for Harry to go ahead. 

“I am not judging you, and, I’m sorry, but this isn’t about your pride. It’s about your kids.  **Our** kids. They deserve to have two parents, Draco. I would’ve let it go if you had some other, legitimate reason-”

“My reasons  **are** legitimate,” the blonde gritted out, closing his eyes. He shouldn’t have thought, even for one moment, that Harry would get it. How could he? 

“I do get it, Draco,” the brunette reassured, squeezing the blonde’s hand again, “I get it. Everyone is speaking about you and judging you and your reputation is ruined and you don’t want to show your face in public ever again. I’ve been through that. Triwizard Tournament, remember? Yes, you have a legitimate reason, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Trust me on this, they’ll talk about you more when you stay hidden. If you go out there, it might be tough for two weeks, but then they’ll forget all about you and move on to the next thing. You don’t see them writing about Ginny and me anymore, do you?” 

The blonde reluctantly looked up at the brunette and was surprised to find that there truly wasn’t any judgment or disgust in his green eyes. Harry looked sympathetic and sincere, but still-

“It’s not the same thing,” Draco said firmly, “You cheating on some girl won’t make everyone fear you. Maybe the people without lives will talk about it forever, but the others don’t care. You won’t find them whispering about you in the streets or rejecting your job applications before they even interview you or-or always wondering whether your kids are also Death Eaters.” 

“Th-that’s not true! Okay, fine. They might still judge you a bit, but if you’re worried about the babies, then don’t. No mature adult would judge innocent children just for who their father is!” the brunette said with a serious tone. Draco instantly burst out laughing and Harry pulled his own hand back, a little frustrated by the blonde not taking him seriously. 

**_It’s not like it’s easy for me to share these things with him._ **

“What do you expect?” Draco said out between laughs, “How can I take you seriously when you’re speaking nonsense, Potter?! Did Severus not treat you like absolute rubbish just because of who your father is?”

“That was one person!” Harry defended. 

“Fine! What about everyone else? Did the entire school not treat you differently because of Vold- him? And you were just  **an innocent child** at the time if you recall.” 

To the blonde’s surprise, Harry said nothing, merely frowning in response to Draco’s words. 

“And, besides, that’s not the only reason. I appreciate the...concern, but it’s not like I made this decision without thinking it through. I don’t want my kids to suffer because of me, and-”

**_If this is also about money-_ **

_ It’s not!  _

_ I mean, it is, but it’s also not. _

The brunette looked to be deep in thought for a few minutes, then sighed and continued slowly. 

“We can raise them in the muggle world,” he finally said. Draco’s mouth hung open in surprise. The blonde didn't know what to say to that. It took him five minutes to reply. 

“You don’t even know me and, yet, you’d change your entire life-” he started. 

“It’s not for you!” Harry snapped, “It’s for the twins. I grew up without parents, Malfoy. It wasn't easy. If there’s any way of preventing my children from having to grow up that way, then I’ll gladly do it. As for the ‘not knowing you’ part, I do expect you to be more...open if you decide to be involved in their lives. I’ll do the same.” 

“It wouldn’t work,” Draco said simply, before wiping his mouth with a napkin and getting up. Harry stood as well. 

“Why not?” he demanded, clearly getting irritated. 

“I don’t have to explain myself to you! I didn’t agree to any of this. If you’re forgetting, you were the one who insisted that he could do this alone. It’s not my fault you’re getting cold feet!” the blonde snapped, feeling vulnerable and exposed. 

“I’m not getting cold feet. I was just trying to help!” the brunette yelled back. 

“Well, don’t!” 

With that, Malfoy climbed up the stairs and disappeared in his room once again, leaving a seriously pissed off, and confused, Harry behind. 


	12. 13 Weeks

Harry had frantically looked through the morning sickness sections of all the male pregnancy books he had bought and, still, found no explanation for why Draco was still having it. Every single book had said the same thing: Wizards usually cease to feel nauseous or have morning sickness after the first trimester ends. 

**_Why is it happening, then?_ **

The two hadn’t had any pregnancy-related conversations for two weeks, ever since Harry had tried to talk the blonde into sticking around after the birth and effectively pissed him off. In his defense, he hadn’t even planned on saying anything. It had all just...come out.

At first, the brunette had promised himself not to bring up what Malfoy had said. He wasn’t even sure whether the blonde had meant what he said or not. It might’ve just been the bond causing Draco to say things he didn’t really mean, after all. 

The more the brunette thought about it, though, the more convinced he became that all of the blonde’s words were true. After all, the bond never made Harry feel anything he didn’t originally feel. It just...made him more honest, and amplified his emotions a bit, pushing him towards Draco and making it hard for him to hate the blonde. Even under the effects of the bond, the brunette felt nothing romantic towards Draco, because he didn’t have such feelings before the two of them were bonded. 

**_If my feelings weren’t changed by the bond…_ **

**_Then, Draco’s wouldn’t be, either._ **

Suddenly, every single memory of the blonde off the potions raced back to Harry and the brunette realized two things: 1) Draco had feelings for him, and 2) the blonde didn’t want to give up the babies, but thinks he has to. Almost instantly, Harry’s mind painted a perfect picture of them together, their twins playing around them, as they sat at the breakfast table discussing whatever married individuals talked about. It was a perfect fantasy, but nothing more; it could never come true. 

The brunette would be lying if he said he didn’t feel the same way about Draco, but that was different. It didn’t count. Draco was under the bond’s influence at the time. Even if the bond didn’t change his feelings, it did change how he acted around Harry; it made Draco more honest, vulnerable, relatable, and, ultimately, likeable. Without the bond, the blonde would never have shared his feelings with Harry and, thus, the brunette would never have felt anything towards Draco. In a way, the brunette had feelings for a person who didn’t really exist, or was always hidden behind Malfoy’s pride and cold exterior. 

But thinking about the bond and its effects was exhausting. The brunette willed himself to stop, but there was still something important he needed to address. 

**_Should I talk to him about the babies?_ **

**_Is it really my place?_ **

For a brief window of time the brunette was wholly convinced by the blonde’s argument and decided he wouldn’t try to get Draco to stay. Draco was right; there were many people who wanted revenge against death eaters, to the point where they would kidnap and kill their children. But, deep down, he also felt guilty, as if he was somehow failing both Draco and their children by not convincing the blonde to stay. Sure, Draco thought that it was best for him not to be involved, but would the twins feel the same way, not having their father around? What would Harry say to them if they ask him about their other father? “Oh, he thought his reputation would ruin your lives and I didn’t disagree.” No. He wouldn’t say that. He wouldn’t be able to give them any explanation. He wouldn’t even be able to face them. 

The brunette thought about his own childhood, how it felt not to have his parents around, not to know anything about them except for the fact that they weren’t there. It was a horrible experience, one that he never wanted his own children to go through. Yet, here he was, making a decision that would result in exactly that. They would want Draco around, Harry was sure of that. And Draco wanted them, too, more than anything. The brunette had felt his yearning, his anguish at the thought of leaving his own children behind, his connection with the babies growing inside of him...Draco loved them with all his heart, so much that he would give them up to make their lives better, that he would put their needs ahead of his...It meant he would do  **anything** for them and that he would make a good father, regardless of the circumstances. Harry needed to talk to the blonde.

Of course, that was easier said than done. Any time Harry brought up the topic within the past two weeks, the blonde responded by silently getting up and leaving the room. The blonde was stubborn and clearly determined not to take any risks, so they couldn’t possibly stay in the wizarding world. 

**_I just don’t get what why he said no to the muggle world as well._ **

_ I can’t believe you’re still thinking about this.  _

_ I said no, Potter.  _

_ Let it go.  _

Harry looked up to find that the blonde was seated across from him, already digging into the lunch that Harry had made. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were still sick? It’s not normal for you to be throwing up at this stage,” he murmured, looking Draco in the eye. 

“It’s not like I needed you to hold my hair back for me,” the blonde said slowly, a confused expression on his face, “Besides, I already owled Granger. She says it isn’t that uncommon for people to have morning sickness well into their second trimester.” 

Harry felt like he had been slapped. 

“You called Hermione? Why didn’t you come to me?” he asked, the irritation clear in his tone. 

“And when did  **you** graduate healer school?” the blonde asked sarcastically, smiling a bit. The brunette didn’t smile back. 

**_That’s not funny, Malfoy!_ **

**_You said you’d keep me updated…_ **

_ About this?  _

_ How would it benefit you to know this tiny little detail?!  _

“There are potions you can take for that, so you’d be more comfortable,” Harry said, rolling his eyes, “I could’ve gotten them for you!” 

“I know. I’m already taking them,” the blonde responded casually. That only made the brunette more angry. Why didn’t he know about any of this? 

“And you didn’t tell me?!” he snapped. 

“The last time I told you about a potion, you freaked out and made the situation very unpleasant for me. Excuse me for not wanting you to do that again,” the blonde defended, “Besides, I didn’t know you cared that much.” 

“Of course, I do,” Harry gritted out, crossed his arms in front of his chest in a defensive gesture. 

“This isn’t for the baby. This is for me, for my comfort,” Draco said, then took a bite of his chicken, “It doesn’t concern you.” 

“Yes, I know. Maybe I care about your well-being, too.” 

Neither of them spoke after that. Harry went back to his own breakfast, which he quickly shoveled into his mouth seeing as how he was already late for a meeting. He didn’t notice how the blonde, now blushing, was looking at him lovingly, a certain longing in his eyes. 


	13. 15 weeks

For the next two weeks, Harry wouldn’t leave Draco alone, not that the blonde wanted him to. Though he would never admit it, Draco loved the attention and all the perks that came with it. Harry would buy him paternity clothes without him having to ask, stop making meals that upset his stomach, even if Harry, himself, liked those meals, and ask about Draco’s well-being and opinions literally  **all the time** . The only drawback? This was all causing the blonde to like the brunette more, to the point where he could even describe it as love, which simply couldn’t happen. It was an unnecessary emotion that would complicate things if Harry ever found out. 

Still, the blonde’s mind would sometimes wander; he’d fantasize about telling the brunette that everything he had said while off the potions was true, that Harry would say he felt the same way, and that they would kiss and be together forever with their babies, perhaps even have more than two children. Of course, those were just dreams that could never come true. Even if the brunette was actively trying to convince the blonde to stay after the birth, Draco knew that Harry had no feelings for him...right? 

_ I was sure I felt his affection towards me when I was off the potions… _

_ I thought that was just a dream, though.  _

_ What if it wasn’t?  _

_ What if he does like me back?  _

_ Why would he be doing all of this if he doesn’t like me? _

_ No one is that nice.  _

_ What if this is his way of dropping hints?  _

_ He  _ **_does_ ** _ hold my hand a lot… _

_ And he always gets upset when I don’t leave my room all day.  _

_ If he does feel something for me, what would it take to get him to admit it?  _

Sure, a relationship between them would end in nothing but disaster, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun in the meantime. They didn’t need to be together; they could just have sex. They deserved it. At least, Draco did. This whole...predicament had ruined everything for him. He had no idea how he was going to put his life back together after the birth. Perhaps hooking up with Harry might be a good distraction from all that, especially since the blonde was randy  **all the time** , another fun effect the pregnancy had on him. 

The brunette had Sundays off, so Draco planned to seduce him on Saturday night. He didn’t want Harry’s mind to drift to some case he’d been working on or the brunette not getting enough sleep and needing to be up by 6 AM. Draco didn’t want Harry to be distracted at all; the blonde wanted all the brunette’s attention to be on him. He picked out the hottest movie that the brunette had in his house, moved all the books, paperwork, and pillows off the couch, then popped the DVD in and called Harry into the room. The brunette instantly raised an eyebrow at the blonde’s choice of movie upon entering the room. Draco shrugged in response and patted the spot next to him. 

It wasn’t unusual for them to sit so close together while watching a movie. They did share one bowl of popcorn, afterall. So, Harry didn’t even blink an eye when the blonde scooted even closer until their thighs were touching. When the blonde’s hand ‘slipped’ and touched Harry’s crotch, the brunette simply shrugged it off, saying it was no big deal when Draco feigned an apology. Harry kept ignoring the blonde’s efforts until Draco was about ready to give up altogether. It was worse now, because the blonde had already thought he would get laid that night and was very turned on despite Harry’s obliviousness. He threw the ‘being subtle’ approach out the window and leaned back on the arm of the couch, placing both his feet in Harry’s lap. The brunette suddenly froze, a panicked look on his face. 

“W-what are you doing?” Harry asked, the nervousness clear in his tone. 

“Just getting comfy. You don’t mind, do you?” the blonde asked with an innocent tilt of the head, then smirked when the brunette gulped and shook his head, turning his attention back to the TV. Of course, Draco didn’t plan on making it so easy for him. The blonde shifted around constantly with the excuse of finding a more comfortable position. Harry only stopped him when Draco felt the brunette, finally, start to harden. 

Harry shot up off the couch and muttered “I-I have to use the bathroom.” Before he could walk away, though, Draco grabbed his arm, a scowl on his face, and forced him to sit back down on the couch. 

“What in Merlin’s name is your problem, Potter? You’re clearly interested, and the feeling is mutual. Why are you running away?” he snapped, having had enough of the brunette’s games. Harry’s eyes widened. 

“I don’t think us doing this is a good idea,” he murmured, looking at the floor. 

“No kidding. May I ask why?!” the blonde gritted out. This  **really** wasn’t how he had wanted the night to go. Harry took a deep breath and his green eyes met Draco’s silver ones. 

“I know you have feelings for me, Draco. I don’t want to lead you on or anything. I’m sorry, but I don’t feel the same way about you,” the brunette said firmly. The blonde blushed furiously, wanting to crawl under the couch and hide, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke firmly. 

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just wanted to screw. If you don’t, then I’ll be retiring to my room, now,” the blonde said, trying to sound calm. Harry could lie all he wanted; Draco  **knew** that the brunette felt something towards him as well. 

“Well, I don’t,” Harry said with a gentle tone, then continued with a chuckle, “But you don’t have to leave. We can finish watching this weird movie you picked.”

The blonde merely shook his head, got up, and walked towards the staircase. He was halfway to his room, when a ball of anger suddenly made itself known within his chest. He stomped back down to the sitting room. 

_ How dare he reject me?  _

_ How can he just make me out to be some poor emotional damsel in distress whose feelings he needs to spare?  _

_ I’m not!  _

“You’re lying!” he yelled at the brunette who hadn’t moved from his position on the couch, “I remember everything from that week, you know? The week I was off the potions? You felt something for me. I’m sure you did! I don’t know what your problem is, but it’s certainly not that.”

“Th-that was different!” Harry stuttered, looking like a deer trapped in the headlights. Draco huffed in annoyance. 

“No it wasn’t. I’m not crazy, Potter. I know what I felt. Are you just not attracted to me? Is that it?” 

“No. It’s just...You were very different back then. You were open and honest and caring. You trusted me enough to tell me some very personal things. That made me feel closer to you. Now, you’re just-” Harry started, then trailed off, fidgeting with his hands. 

“Yes?” the blonde asked loudly after a few seconds of silence. 

“You kind of remindmeofmyuncle,” the brunette said in one breathe. Draco raised an eyebrow at him, crossing his hands in front of his chest. 

“What?” 

“M-my uncle. He wasn’t a very nice guy. He used to make me feel so...worthless, like I just annoy everyone around me. He used to...expect things from me, to cook, to clean, to do everything for him. He never gave a damn about how tired I was, never thought to ask me about what I wanted. He didn’t care about me at all, didn’t pay attention-” Harry murmured, looking away from Draco. 

“Attention? Give me a break, Potter. What do you expect me to do? Hold your hand during meals and stroke your hair when you’re upset?” the blonde asked, rolling his eyes. Harry sent him a death glare. 

“Yes, actually. That would be nice,” he snapped, looking offended. Draco blinked at him. 

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” the blonde whispered, now feeling kind of bad about making fun of the brunette earlier. He continued when he saw Harry nod slightly, “I don’t know what that uncle of yours taught you, but conditional love isn’t really a pillar of a healthy relationship!” 

After the blonde’s outburst, the brunette just sighed, shook his head, and looked Draco in the eye. 

“It’s not conditional. I didn’t ask you to change. I just said that I can’t be with you. I don’t want to offend or upset you. I’ve really been trying here, Draco. It’s not like I find it easy to open up, either, but having you here is important to me. You can fix these...issues if you want to, but you didn’t, because you didn’t care enough that they make me feel this horrible. That’s fine. I’m willing to put up with being put down by you until the birth, but just as flatmates and nothing more. You understand, right?” 

“If you think I’m such a horrible person, why have you been practically begging me to raise the twins with you?!” Draco practically yelled, hating how Harry’s words hurt him more than all the insults he had heard from people since the war. The person the brunette had just described...sounded exactly like his father. That couldn’t be...After the war, Draco had sworn he wouldn’t be a miniature Lucius Malfoy anymore. He educated himself, let go of his elitist beliefs, and...changed? Except...did he really change? It didn’t sound like it. 

“I never said you were a horrible person. I didn’t think this was how you’d be with  **them** . It’s just how you are with...everyone else. I’m not wrong, am I?” the brunette asked with a raised eyebrow, but the blonde was in too much of a shock to acknowledge his answer. Draco nodded his head absentmindedly, then walked out of the room without another word to the brunette, only one thought in mind. 

_ I need to make this right.  _


	14. 17 weeks

Things were on edge between him and Draco. The brunette was also miserable at his job with Ron ignoring him and everyone whispering behind his back. He felt as distant as ever with the babies since he stopped speaking to Draco...or Draco stopped speaking to him. He wasn’t sure which happened first, but they weren’t speaking to each other, and it was driving Harry crazy, because he just knew the blonde would be too proud to say anything if there was something going on with the pregnancy. So, the brunette had enough on his plate; he didn’t think he could handle anything else bad happening, but the universe wasn’t on his side. 

During their fifth visit to Hermione, Draco did something he had never done before; the blonde started listing every single change that he had felt since the last visit. Hermione only smiled and didn’t question the blonde’s sudden urge to share. 

**_Could he be doing this for me?_ **

**_But...that wouldn’t make any sense._ **

**_Are we still mad at each other?_ **

**_Is this his way of asking for forgiveness?_ **

“This all seems wonderful, Mr. Malfoy. Everything is right on track. My tests also show that there’s nothing out of the ordinary going on. So, unless you have any questions for-” Hermione started, but was cut off by the blonde, who pulled out a list Harry had made of questions to ask Hermione when Malfoy wasn’t around. 

**_How did he get that?_ **

“I do, actually,” the blonde said firmly. The brunette gaped at the blonde as Draco asked every single question on the list, and sometimes paused after answers in case Harry had any follow-ups. 

**_Why are you doing this?_ **

**_You don’t need to if it makes you uncomfortable._ **

**_I know it’s...hard for you to talk about the pregnancy._ **

**_I can ask Hermione later._ **

_ I can be a bit uncomfortable for a few minutes.  _

_ Do you have anything else you want to know?  _

The brunette threw a glance at the blonde to check whether Draco was serious. This whole Healer’s visit seemed too good to be true. Did Malfoy want them to patch things up, or was this the blonde’s way of showing he was open to “doing things for Harry” just like the brunette had requested? 

Before Harry could ask the blonde either question, he was interrupted by someone coming into the room. 

“Hey, ‘Mione, I know you said you were busy, but-” Ron started as he opened the door to Hermione’s office. His mouth hung open when his eyes snapped up to see the couple sitting across from his wife. 

“Ron-” Harry started, but the red-head, now visibly furious, cut him off. 

“Are you kidding me?” he whispered harshly, tightening his grip on the doorknob until his knuckles turned white. He stepped into the room, slamming the door behind him, and continued, “THIS is who you knocked up while engaged to my sister?! This is the person you chose over her?! He-he’s a death eater, Harry! He’s the reason so many people are dead. He’s part of the reason Fred is dead. Nothing good will ever come out of him! He tried to kill me! He tried to torture you! What were you thinking? He’s-” 

Ron was interrupted when his wife got off her desk, walked towards him, then slapped him right across the face. He clamped his mouth shut as he stared, wide-eyed, at her. 

“It’s completely unprofessional for you to come in here unannounced, not to mention  **yell** at my patient!” the witch snapped, pointing at Draco. Ron started yelling back at her, defending himself, but Harry blocked them both out. He didn’t care what they were saying; he was more focused on the blonde, who had started to hyperventilate halfway through Ron’s yelling. 

**_What’s Wrong?_ **

**_Are you alright?_ **

**_Is this about what he said?_ **

**_Ignore him._ **

**_He’s an idiot._ **

**_Draco?!_ **

The blonde didn’t respond to any of Harry’s questions or statements for five whole minutes, but he, now, had a death grip on the brunette’s arm. 

“P-Please,” the blonde choked out, looking frantic, “I don’t want to be h-here anymore.” 

Harry held Draco’s other arm and apparated them into the sitting room of Grimmauld Place, instantly maneuvering the blonde so he would be seated on the couch. The brunette knelt in front of him, looked him in the eye, and probed Draco’s side of their link, silently asking the blonde for access to his thoughts. He needed to understand what was happening. The blonde said nothing, but shared his thoughts with Harry. 

_ H-he’s going to tell everyone!  _

_ EVERYONE!  _

_ They’re going to stand outside the house with pitchforks and torches and throw stuff through the windows and-and maybe even try to hurt them!  _

_ They’ll all know who carried them.  _

_ And-and they’ll hate them and it’ll all be my fault because I was an arrogant child who got the dark mark to make his daddy proud!  _

**_No._ **

**_No. Draco, none of that is going to happen!_ **

**_He won’t say anything._ **

“How do you know?!” the blonde suddenly  _ screamed _ , his voice breaking on the last word, then buried his face in his hands. 

“I-I just do. He won’t say anything,” Harry repeated firmly, feeling as if his heart would beat out of his chest. He had never seen the blonde like this before; it was frightening.

_ P-please, go talk to him, Harry.  _

_ Convince him to keep it quiet.  _

_ Obliviate him if you have to!  _

The brunette instantly shook his head, staring at the blonde with wide eyes. 

“I don’t want to leave you like this,” he whispered softly, then heard Draco exhale shakingly and look up at him with wet, silver eyes. 

“I-I’ll be fine. Please,” he said, giving Harry a desperate look. The brunette nodded slightly, though he was sure Draco wasn’t “fine.” The blonde was telling him he needed this, so Harry would do it in the hope that it would help Draco feel better. The brunette gave the blonde’s hand a firm squeeze, then stood up and apparated back into Hermione’s office. The couple jumped when he suddenly appeared right next to them. Ron had an angry look in his eyes, while Hermione looked extremely worried. 

“Is he alright?” she asked. Harry shook his head slowly, still glaring daggers at Ron. 

“I’d like to talk to your husband alone, ‘Mione.” 

* * *

Draco sat on his bed, his back against the headboard and his knees drawn to his chest. He was still trying to steady his breathing. He was used to this by now. He had these kinds of episodes whenever he even imagined the possibility of going outside, running into people, or pretty much anything that involved wizards or muggles or any creature who had the ability to judge him for his past...

_ Oh, Merlin.  _

_ It’s getting worse.  _

_ Stop!  _

_ Think happy thoughts.  _

_ Harry will be back in a bit.  _

_ He’ll hold my hand again.  _

_ He’ll comfort me.  _

_ He’ll make everything better.  _

_ No one is going to get to me with him here.  _

Draco knew he was lying to himself. His arrangement with the brunette was temporary. Harry couldn’t protect the blonde forever. Draco wasn’t even sure the brunette would be able to protect him now if Ron tells everyone what’s going on. Despite all that, these thoughts calmed Draco down a bit, made his heart stop racing and his breath more steady. He was almost entirely calm by the time the brunette returned. His head snapped up when Harry knocked softly on the door. 

“You can come in,” he said with a small voice. The brunette came in with a wide, obviously forced smile and sat on the edge on the bed. 

“He won’t say anything. He took an unbreakable,” the brunette said softly. Draco’s heart dropped. 

_ Y-you’re lying!  _

_ He’s going to tell everyone, isn’t he?  _

_ I know Weasley.  _

_ There’s no way he would’ve sworn an unbreakable just like that!  _

**_It wasn’t just like that…_ **

**_He was so appalled when I asked him to do it that he said he’d never speak to me again if I force him to take the vow._ **

The blonde’s silver eyes widened and he looked up to see Harry looking at him with the same forced smile and a devastated expression. 

“A-and you said y-yes?” Draco stuttered out, unable to believe what he was hearing. The brunette nodded, wiping a stray tear from his cheek. 

“It was the only way to make sure he wouldn’t say anything,” he whispered, then sniffled and looked like he was going to get up. Before he could, though, the blonde threw himself at Harry, wrapping his arms tightly around the brunette. 

“Th-thank you so much, Harry. You-you have no idea how much this means to me, h-how afraid I was,” he murmured into Harry’s ear, not caring that he sounded vulnerable. He was so grateful to the brunette that words could never express it. Draco wanted to do something for him, but realized, with a sinking feeling, that he didn’t know what Harry liked, that he really didn’t know  **anything** about Harry, other than the fact that he loved the brunette with all his heart. 

Harry said nothing in response, returning the hug and crying silently into the blonde’s shoulder. 

_ I wish I could make you feel better.  _

As if they could hear Draco, the twins reacted right at that moment, kicking for the first time. Harry jumped a meter back, his eyes wide, and stared at Draco’s rounded stomach. 

“Did they just-?” he asked breathlessly, looking shocked. 

“Do you want to feel?” the blonde asked, revelling in the genuine smile that spread across Harry’s face as the brunette nodded. 

Harry seemed hesitant as he put his hand on the blonde’s stomach, right over the bump. The brunette furrowed his eyebrows, moving his hand constantly. Draco finally grabbed Harry’s hand, lifted his own shirt, and placed the brunette’s hand directly over his stomach. 

“Do you feel it now?” Draco asked, his hand still over Harry’s, guiding it around his stomach. 

“Yes. This-this is amazing. You’re amazing. I can’t believe you’re doing this, that you’re...growing them. Thank you,” the brunette said, looking at Draco in awe. The blonde’s eyes snapped up to meet Harry’s. Time seemed to stand still as their hands intertwined over Draco’s stomach, the distance between them getting smaller and smaller as they both leaned forward until their lips finally met. 


	15. 20 weeks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you for all the comments and Kudos. Sorry I don't reply to all of them. I've just been busy lately. I am reading them, though, and they make my day. 
> 
> The posting schedule for this story has been all over the place, but there will be updates every week on Saturday from now on (at least).
> 
> Enjoy!

“Draco, everything is fine. It was probably just a kick!” Hermione said, then huffed. It took a very irritating patient to get her to lose her professional tone like that, and Draco knew he was driving her crazy, but he couldn’t help it. 

“Are you su-” he started, but cut himself off when the witch quickly nodded, already knowing what he was going to ask. 

It had been three weeks since Ron had walked in on them in his wife’s office. The blonde had come back to the office twelve times since then, floo-calling the healer and asking for an “emergency meeting” every time.

Every single one of the “emergencies” had been minor things, such as a brief flutter that Draco had felt, an strange change in his appetite, the blonde wanting to know which foods were and which weren’t okay for him to eat, what actions could harm the babies, etc. Draco was surprised the witch hadn’t gotten too annoyed and forbidden him from calling her again. He knew he was overreacting to everything, but he simply didn’t know enough to be able to tell whether something was an emergency or not. Harry had been called in on a three-day mission the morning after they had kissed. Those three days, however, somehow turned into three weeks. Without the brunette around, Draco had no one to fall back onto. Everything was his responsibility. 

Harry had read every single pregnancy book, pertaining to both males and females, that had ever been published. The brunette had known everything from day one. Draco had never freaked out over an event or questioned if he was doing enough to keep the baby safe. Harry knew everything and always reassured the blonde that they were doing everything they were supposed to. Now, there was no one to do that for him, so he had to turn to Hermione for everything. 

_ Merlin, I miss him so much… _

_ I just hope he likes my gift.  _

“Thank you, but there’s something else. I’d like you to trap the sound of the heartbeat into this golden egg. I’d also like a picture of the ultrasound at this stage, and I don’t want to see or hear anything. Can you do that?” he asked with a casual tone, handing the witch a golden egg. Not surprisingly, Hermione didn’t ask any questions and merely nodded, a slight smile on her face. Draco had gotten to know the witch quite well during the past few weeks and loved how discrete and understanding she was. There may have even been instances when there wasn’t anything wrong, but Draco had just called her to talk. He never had much to say, though, and the witch happily filled the silence by telling the blonde about her life. 

“I’ll do it, but we should really have a conversation later about what ‘emergency’ means,” she said, then chuckled at the end. Draco blushed a bit. The witch started the process. 

After Hermione had handed the blonde what he had asked for, the blonde smiled at her, then got off the table and waited for her to apparate him back to Grimmauld Place. When a few seconds passed without her moving, he spoke up. 

“Why aren’t we leaving?” he asked with a puzzled expression. Hermione rolled her eyes. 

“You know why. You’re five months along. I’ve already told you before and I’ll tell you again. It’s very dangerous for you to side-apparate now. I’ve even sent Harry a couple of letters about it. I’m surprised he hasn’t contacted you and asked you to stop already,” she said firmly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Draco stared at her for a second, wide-eyed, his mouth agape, then quickly regained his composure. 

“Oh, so, you’ve spoken to him? Do you know when he’s coming back?” he asked with what he hoped was a calm tone. His heart was threatening to beat out of his chest. He  **needed** Harry to come back soon. What was taking him so long, anyway?

Hermione’s expression softened instantly. 

“He’s coming back at midnight. I’m sure you’ll wake up to a lecture about following the healer’s orders. You should really listen to it,” she said with a slight smile. Draco nodded. 

“Just this once? Please? I won’t ask you or Harry again. I promise,” he said firmly. Hermione sighed then grabbed his arm, instantly apparating them to Grimmauld Place. 

“I hope he likes your gift,” she said with a wink before disapparating. 

Draco looked at the picture and the golden egg in his arms, then at the dozens of unopened letters from Harry on the table. He gulped. 

_ He’ll like them.  _

_ But this isn’t enough.  _

_ Compared to what Harry has done for me, nothing will be enough! _

_ I don’t want to be an ungrateful bastard.  _

_ I don’t want to be like my father.  _

The entire house seemed to be tormenting the blonde, telling him that he didn’t deserve what Harry had done for him, that he had taken the brunette for granted and given him nothing but grief in return. 

_ Maybe I can make him something?  _

Except that Draco didn’t know a single thing about cooking, and he had no idea what Harry liked to eat. The brunette had only been making and eating whatever food was good for the babies or whatever food Draco liked. Then, the blonde remembered. 

_ Treacle tart.  _

_ He used to eat it for every single meal when we were at Hogwarts… _

_ Maybe he still enjoys it?  _

The blonde got to work, though he quickly realized he had no idea how to cook using muggle devices. He tried as hard as he could to remember how Harry used to do it, but came up empty-handed. Only then did he realize that he had never actually stood with the brunette as he cooked. Draco would just wait in his bedroom for Harry to come up and get him, as if the brunette was a servant. That only made the blonde feel worse.

_ Is Harry delaying his return on purpose?  _

_ I wouldn’t blame him if he is.  _

It wasn’t the first time these kinds of thoughts crossed Draco’s mind. He had had a lot of time alone since the brunette left, which allowed his mind to evaluate his role in Harry’s life and how much trouble he was actually causing the brunette. It didn’t take long for the blonde to be convinced that he was the worst person on the planet. He couldn’t blame Harry for not feeling the same way about him. He didn’t want to see the rejection that he was sure would be in the brunette’s letters, so he didn’t read any of them. He did send all kinds of updates about the babies, though, thinking that might make Harry happy. All he wanted to do was make Harry happy, especially since he was the cause of the brunette’s misery.

On the first day of the third week, Draco had broken down completely, thinking Harry was never coming back for him or the babies, silently begging the brunette telepathically not to abandon them. Hermione had shown up, unannounced, and given him a sleeping draught, then tucked him in and made him food for when he woke up. He had thanked her when he saw her the next day in her office, but he felt so ashamed, it took him three more “emergencies'' to call her again. He blamed what had happened on the bond and his stupid hormones. After All, Harry would never abandon his kids...right?

_ Hermione… _

The memory of the witch cooking him food snapped him out of his thoughts. Hermione could help him make the tart! She could tell him how to use all these crazy devices. Then, he could help Harry out more when it comes to food, at least. The brunette  **did** say he hated to cook... 

_ Finally, something I can do for him! _

Draco went to the fireplace and floo-called the witch, still surprised that it was so easy for him to do such a thing. He was terrified of everyone else in the universe, but Hermione Granger somehow made him feel a bit safe whenever she was around. 

“Another emergency?” the witch asked, laughing a bit, the second her head appeared in the fire-place. Draco smiled back at her, shaking his head. 

“Very funny, Dr. Granger. No, actually, I was trying to make treacle tart and Harry only has muggle appliances, so I was wondering-” the blonde started, but clamped his mouth shut when the furious voice of Ron Weasley echoed through the call. 

“You’ve got to be kidding, me, ‘Mione. This is like the twentieth time he’s called in a week! You promised I wouldn’t have to see or be reminded of him and, now, he’s around all the time! For the love of Merlin, either find him another healer or bombarda that fireplace so I won’t have to see his face!” 

Draco’s chest clenched for two reasons. One: he was being a burden on Hermione, the only person in the world who would talk to him, and two: Ron had been back from the same mission Harry went on for at least a week according to the red-head’s words, which could only mean…

_ Harry didn’t need to be gone all this time.  _

_ He really  _ **_is_ ** _ sick of me.  _

_ Is he sick of the babies, too?  _

_ Is he  _ **_ever_ ** _ going to come back?  _

_ Is Hermione covering for him?  _

_ She would...she’s  _ **_his_ ** _ friend, not mine.  _

“I-I h-have to g-go,” he choked out, instantly ending the call while being vaguely aware of Hermione telling him to wait. The blonde burst into tears as he stumbled upstairs, ran into his room, slammed the door closed, then crawled underneath his bed, the only space cramped enough to calm down his racing thoughts. He needed to be alone. People would only judge him and hurt him and force him to do things he doesn’t really want to do. They’d laugh at him if he does or say anything wrong and they’ll hold it against him for life and they’ll never leave him alone. He hated people, all of them, except for Harry, but, now, it seemed the brunette hated the blonde as well. 

A few hours had gone by when the blonde suddenly heard a door being opened. His first instinct was to assume that Ron had told someone about his presence and that people were coming to hurt him. In his panicked state, he didn’t even remember that the redhead had taken an unbreakable vow and couldn’t have told anyone. Draco could only register that someone was now pulling him from underneath the bed. A shrill scream erupted from his throat involuntarily. What would this person do to him? More importantly, would they hurt his babies?

The hands pulling at his arms suddenly disappeared. 

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you,” he heard Harry say, sounding frightened, “Are you alright? Hermione told me you weren’t doing well. I came back as soon as I could.” 

Draco blinked. It couldn’t be Harry. Hadn’t the brunette left forever? 

“G-go away! I-I have a wand under here, and I’ll use it if I have to!” the blonde yelled out, hoping that would be enough to scare the intruder away.

**_It’s only me, Draco._ **

**_See?_ **

**_No one else can talk to you like this._ **

**_What’s-_ **

The blonde didn’t let Harry finish, instantly climbing out from under the bed, throwing himself at the brunette, and crying into his shoulder. 

“I can’t believe you c-came back! Please don’t leave me again. I’m so sorry. I’ll be good. I won’t upset you anymore. It-it’s just a few more weeks. Then, you’ll never have to see me again,” the blonde wailed. Harry embraced him tightly and rocked him back and forth. Perhaps he was saying something as well, but Draco couldn’t tell. The blonde was just too relieved that Harry had returned. He had a chance now. He could make Harry stop hating him. These past few weeks were horrible; he never wanted them to be apart again. He was determined to make things right with the brunette. 


	16. 21 Weeks

Harry watched, his arms crossed around his chest, as the blonde silently ate the soup that the brunette had made. When Hermione had sent him a letter saying that Ron had upset Draco again, Harry wasted no time in finding a safe spot to apparate, since he couldn’t do so from within the field where the mission took place. He had prayed that it wouldn’t be as bad as the time the red-head had seen the blonde in Hermione’s office. The minute he entered Draco's room and heard the blonde crying under the bed, his heart sank, realizing it was way worse. 

The brunette had felt more guilty than frightened. His mission had ended a day earlier, but he had figured the blonde wouldn’t care if Harry stayed a bit. The other Aurors had decided to stay in the field and call it a fun overnight trip. They had the day off work, anyway, so why not? 

**_Because I have a pregnant Draco at home!_ **

**_That’s why not!_ **

**_Why did I stay?!_ **

**_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ **

“It’s okay. I understand. I’m a lot to deal with,” the blonde suddenly murmured, snapping Harry out of his thoughts. The brunette looked up. Draco had shoved the soup away, pulled his sleeves over his knuckles, and wrapped his arms around himself, looking away from Harry. 

“No. That’s not true! I-I didn’t think you’d miss me. I just wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry, Draco,” Harry said frantically, not knowing what else to say to get the blonde to snap out of whatever had gotten into him. 

“Don’t lie to me,” the blonde gritted out, looking a bit frustrated, “I know Weasley came back a week ago. What other reason would you have? You clearly weren’t planning on returning!” Harry’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did Draco actually think that the brunette would abandon him? Had he been thinking that the whole time Harry was away? 

“No! That’s not true. Of course, I was going to come back. I- okay, maybe I needed some time away,” he said frantically, “but I only stayed one extra day after the mission ended. I wouldn’t have if I knew you needed me here. Ron was injured on the field and had to come back early. I-” 

The brunette trailed off, just now noticing the letters on the table across the room. Draco followed his gaze, then slumped in his seat. 

“I knew you’d try to let me down easily after that kiss. I know you don’t want to be with me, but I just...didn’t want to read it,” the blonde explained, pouting a bit. 

Harry groaned. The first three letters did address the kiss and how the brunette had been caught up in the moment. Draco was right about that, but he had worried the brunette when he didn’t reply to any of them and kept sending Harry vague updates about the babies. It was the reason why Harry had reached out to Hermione and asked her to look after Draco and update him as best she could. 

**_I care about you, too._ **

**_I wanted to know how you were doing._ **

**_If you’d just told me-_ **

“I’m fine,” the blonde said suddenly, cutting Harry off, then seemed to realize how ridiculous that sounded and continued, “or I was fine, until…” 

“I left you some galleons and glamour potions. Why didn’t you use them to go to restaurants? What have you been eating?” Harry finally asked when Draco said nothing for a few seconds. The blonde suddenly frowned, looking...ashamed? 

“Hermione made me three meals everyday and sent them over by owl. They were shrunk and charmed to resize and heat up during meal times. I think, on some level, she knows,” the blonde explained. Harry didn’t know what to say to that. He knew Draco hated questions, but this had gone on long enough. Harry needed to know what was happening with the blonde. 

“Knows what?” he asked softly, trying to sound calm, then waited. Draco lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes, and spoke through their mind-link. 

_ I’m afraid of them… _

Harry tilted his head in confusion. He felt the blonde’s unease through their bond, but pressed forward, anyway, hoping he would get any kind of answer that would make sense of the situation. 

**_Afraid of who?_ **

“E-everyone,” Draco choked out, his shoulders shaking as violent sobs racked his body. 

**_What does that mean?_ **

The thought had slipped through their link without the brunette’s permission. The topic seemed to be causing Draco high levels of stress which wasn’t good for him or the babies, but the brunette needed to understand! It didn’t matter, though, because the blonde didn’t respond. Harry was about to coax an answer out of him, when another question popped into the brunette’s head. Draco was being too open, too vulnerable. What if? 

“Have you been taking your blocking potions?” the brunette asked. Draco seemed to think about it for a bit then nodded slightly. 

“I think so,” he murmured. Harry instantly got up, went to his bag, and retrieved a potion for the blonde, handing it to him instantly. Draco gave him a puzzled look. 

“Please? It won’t hurt if you take a double dose, but I think you might be overreacting to me being away because-”

“I am not overreacting!” the blonde snapped, facing away from the brunette. Harry sighed, then started pleading with him through their mind link. 

**_Please?_ **

**_For me?_ **

**_I am just worried..._ **

The blonde didn’t respond, but did as he was told and drank down the potion. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat when Draco didn’t speak for a few minutes. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to bring up their earlier conversation and upset the blonde again, but they couldn’t just not talk about it! Just as he was about to ask his earlier question again, Draco’s head suddenly snapped up and he forced a smile at Harry. 

“I got something for you,” he said, then got off his seat and went to the table across the room, returning with a golden egg, similar to the one in the triwizard tournament, and a picture. 

“I hope you like them,” he murmured, placing them on the table. Harry’s heart swelled when he looked down and saw the picture of the twins,  **his** twins. 

“Th-they’re so big,” he said, holding the picture and looking at it in awe, “I can’t believe it. I-I didn’t think I was away for that long. I-” 

Suddenly, the brunette’s eyes burned with tears. 

**_Merlin, I was so selfish._ **

**_I stayed with the aurors for almost a full day._ **

**_How could I do that?_ **

**_They grew so much and I wasn’t here for it…_ **

“Calm down, Harry. You sound like you’ve been away for years. It was only three weeks. That day off you took was just a break. You deserve it,” Draco said firmly, then gestured at the egg. “Those are the heartbeats. I figured you would want something permanent.” 

Harry looked up at Draco lovingly, then got out of his chair and hugged the blonde tightly. 

“Thank you,” he said, then pulled back a bit, laid a hand on the blonde’s stomach, and murmured, “You’ve gotten so big, too.” 

Draco raised an eyebrow at that. 

“Are you calling me fat?” he asked. Harry instantly put both his hands up in a surrendering gesture and shook his head. 

“No! No, I just meant-” he started frantically, but Draco cut him off with a chuckle. 

“I’m just teasing you. Although, I’ll have you know, I do intend to lose all this weight once the twins are out, so you better start adjusting as well, because I’m not eating diet food while you’re munching on the good stuff,” the blonde said with a light-hearted tone. His smile faded away once he realized what he had said. He cleared his throat, pulled away from the brunette, and went back to his soup, gesturing at Harry’s and saying, “This is really good. You should have some.” 

Harry went back to his seat with a slight nod, but ate nothing, looking at the blonde with a sad expression. 

* * *

“Wait. Wait. Wait,” Harry said, putting up a hand to interrupt Hermione for the thousandth time, “So, this...illness takes away someone’s ability to speak to others? Is that what you’re saying?” 

Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes. They had been at this for hours. Harry felt back for making the witch repeat herself so much, but he really just...didn’t get it. He’d had days in the past where he didn’t want to leave his bed or interact with anybody else, but this? Never seeing or speaking to anyone at all? 

“No, Harry. I didn’t say that. Technically, he can speak to people,” she explained. 

“Then why doesn’t he? It’s been 5 whole months. He hasn’t met anyone since we conceived the twins, I think,” Harry immediately said, his eyes wild. 

“As I was saying, he can physically meet them and speak to them, but he, mentally, he isn’t able to. That’s probably why he reacted so strongly to Ron knowing about him being pregnant. It might also be the reason he didn’t want to visit a doctor and proposed to take that transfer potion, instead,” she said with a sad expression. Harry's chest clenched. 

“You’re saying this was bad enough that he’d rather risk his own life than see someone whose help he desperately needs?” he asked, horrified. 

“Yes. I suspect he also has agoraphobia as well. There has been a strong link between that and social anxiety disorder. They’re a deadly combination,” the witch said quietly. 

**_What does that mean?_ **

**_Speak English!_ **

“‘Mione, could you-” he started, but was cut off by the witch, who seemed to know what he was asking for. 

“There have been multiple studies. It’s known as a fear of open or public spaces, but more recent research shows that it is linked with an intense fear of being in a place where you can’t escape if something goes wrong. This isn’t my field, Harry, so I might be wrong, but I believe it started after the kidnappings.” 

“What?” Harry asked, more to himself than Hermione, “B-but he wasn’t even there!” 

“Are you sure? There are no marks? Anywhere on his body?” Hermione asked. 

“I-I-” Harry started, then trailed off, trying with all his energy to remember anything from the night they conceived the twins. He had seen Draco naked. Surely, he would’ve remembered the blonde having scars from being tortured, right? 

The prophet had written about the kidnappings constantly back when the war was still fresh in everyone’s minds. Some people had been outraged that certain death eaters weren’t sent to Azkaban. They had sent many letters to the Wizengamot complaining about it and claiming that they felt unsafe with death eaters on the loose. Apparently, they didn’t get the answer they were hoping for, because they took matters into their own hands and started kidnapping death eaters, torturing them in underground chambers, carving open their skin with snake fangs, and videotaping the whole thing. They would, then, release the videos in a very public manner to humiliate the death eaters, but Draco was never in one of the videos...

“I don’t know,” the brunette finally admitted. He couldn’t remember anything from the apothecary, and he hadn’t watched enough of the video to see the blonde naked again. 

“There might be a way to find out,” Hermione said slowly, as if contemplating her next words.

* * *

Harry closed his eyes when he saw the name. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, but there was no way he could deny it now; Draco  **was** one of the death eaters who had been kidnapped. The evidence was right in front of the brunette, in the form of a magical video capsule with the name Draco Malfoy written across it. The date the video was taken also explained why it was never released. The blonde had been kidnapped on the exact same day that the Aurors had found the kidnappers and taken them into custody. Had they released the blonde? Did they offer him anything to help? Did they even heal him? 

The questions drove Harry crazy. He wanted to watch the video, just so he could understand what the blonde had been through, and whether the Aurors had helped him. Ultimately, he knew it wouldn’t matter, though. He couldn’t change the past. 

**_But I could help him now…_ **

**_Maybe destroying this tape would make him feel better?_ **

It was against the law. If he was caught, he’d be fired and arrested. Harry knew that, but, still...He didn’t want to leave the tape here, in a room full of evidence from solved cases. No one would notice it was gone. No one needed it. No one should’ve had it in the first place. It was a traumatic experience in Draco’s life. No one should be able to just watch it and file it away as “evidence.” Of course, they wouldn’t release it if he asked. The Aurors don’t care about Draco’s feelings. He’s just a death eater to them, nothing more. That’s what they said about all the others who weren’t sent to Azkaban, after all. Harry wondered for a second, if the Aurors secretly let the kidnappings go on longer than they should have before finally investigating and putting a stop to them. 

With that horrifying thought in mind, the brunette grabbed the tape and apparated to Grimmauld Place, startling the blonde who was sitting on the couch. Draco jumped up, then looked at Harry with wide eyes. 

“Where have you been? You said you and Granger were having lunch, not an all-day 7-course meal!” the blonde said, the irritation clear in his voice. Harry sat next to him on the couch, looking deep into his confused, silver eyes. He wanted to hug him, comfort him, tell him everything was going to be alright, and offer to have a talk about it. But Harry knew that none of that would be welcomed by the blonde. Draco wouldn’t want to talk about it or be comforted. If Harry knew with absolute certainty that the blonde would want the brunette to pretend like he knew nothing, so he didn’t say anything. He just placed the video capsule on the table in front of the both of them, then waited, letting the blonde decide how he wants to proceed or whether they would talk about it. 

The brunette watched as the blonde went pale upon inspecting the capsule. Harry was sure Draco knew what it contained. 

“Did you watch it?” the blonde finally asked after what seemed like hours of silence. Harry answered instantly. 

“No. I didn’t,” he said firmly, looking at the side of Draco’s head as the blonde faced forward, away from Harry. 

_ Thank you.  _

_ It's better to know that this isn’t...out there.  _

Before Harry could answer that, the blonde suddenly yanked the brunette’s wand out of his hand and yelled out  _ bombarda _ , pointing the wand at the capsule. Harry acted on autopilot, throwing himself in front of Draco, and shielding him and the babies from the pieces of the capsule flying everywhere. He felt them hitting his back, sometimes tearing at his clothes, but he didn’t care. The blonde was the only thing in the world that mattered to him. He wanted to protect Draco at all costs, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t yell at the blonde for what he just did. 

“What the hell were you thinking?” he shouted, pulling away from Draco to look him in the eye. He didn’t get a chance, because, suddenly, the blonde was shaking, and pulling the brunette back into his embrace, whispering “Thank you,” over and over again. 


	17. 25 Weeks

_ They’re looking at us. _

_ Staring, actually.  _

_ Even they can tell that I don’t belong here.  _

_ I want to go back to the house.  _

_ Please?  _

Harry surveyed their surroundings quickly. There was nobody in sight. 

**_Relax, Draco._ **

**_No one is going to hurt you, I promise._ **

**_Could we just do two more blocks?_ **

**_We’re almost at the bookshop you want to reach._ **

_ No. I’m really not feeling well.  _

Harry nodded with a smile, then turned back. They hadn’t walked as much as they did the day before that, but he wouldn’t let his disappointment show. This was hard on Draco, and the brunette needed to be supportive. 

“How many steps today?” the blonde asked quietly as soon as they walked into Grimmauld Place. Harry checked the pedometer in his pocket and told Draco “300.” 

The blonde instantly groaned, burying his face in his hands. 

**_It’s okay._ **

**_That’s only 200 less than yesterday._ **

**_And, hey, we can get it back up tomorrow!_ **

“I know,” the blonde murmured, “It’s just...I really wanted that book on kitchen appliances.” 

Harry blinked, looking at Draco with a shocked expression. 

“That’s it? That’s what you wanted from there? I can teach you about those things if you want. Or if you tell me what you’d like to change in the food-” 

“No. I don’t want you to change anything. I don’t want you to do anything at all. I just don’t want you coming home tired and cooking for me all the time. You’re not Cinderelly, and I know you hate it,” the blonde gritted out, though he seemed to be more angry at himself than the situation. Harry laughed at Draco’s attempt to reference the movie that the brunette had brought for him the night earlier because the blonde was curious about children’s movies in the muggle world. 

“It’s ‘Cinderella’ and I never said I hated it. I’m happy to make anything you need. You know that,” he said firmly, holding Draco’s gaze, but the blonde looked away. 

_ But I don’t want to be like your uncle anymore.  _

_ I don’t want you to hate having me around… _

Harry sighed, but said nothing. This had been their agreement for the past five weeks; Draco would be completely honest through their mind-link, as long as Harry didn’t acknowledge what the blonde said. It was Draco’s stupid idea and Harry was 100% against it, especially since he ALWAYS wanted to acknowledge and talk about anything Draco says. But, of course, the brunette had agreed, if just to get the blonde to open up about his mental health and it had worked. Harry understood the blonde’s feelings and intentions better than he ever had, but that didn’t mean just he accepted them. 

**\- Four Weeks Earlier -**

“I know you don’t want to talk about it, but it’s been three days and- and I was frightened when I came back and found you like that, Draco,” Harry explained, looking at the blonde even though Draco was avoiding his gaze. They were both sitting on the blonde’s bed, Draco’s back against the headboard with his knees pulled against his chest, and Harry on the edge, next to the railing, which the brunette had spelled onto the bed since curtains made Draco feel safer. 

“I can’t help it,” the blonde whispered after a few seconds, wrapping his arms around his legs and burying his face in them, “It’s just the stupid hormones. Hermione said they’d make me very...moody at this stage. But, that’s okay. We’re halfway through. Hopefully, there won’t be any more long trips at your job until the birth.” 

Harry knew there wouldn’t be. A day earlier, he had asked the head Auror to take his name off long field missions for at least a year. But...that wasn’t the brunette’s problem. 

“What about afterward?” he asked, hoping against hope that the blonde would tell him he had  **any** kind of support system waiting for him after the birth, but knowing that wasn’t the case. 

_ It won’t be your problem afterward… _

Harry closed his eyes, leaning back against the railing and taking a deep breath, Hermione’s words flooding his brain. If what she said was true, Draco wouldn’t be able to get a job, to pay for food, to get a muggle education, to make any friends...The blonde would never leave his apartment. If Harry didn’t do something for him now, the brunette would be leaving Draco to die after the birth. 

“Do you feel that?” the brunette asked, pushing his emotions through the bond, his eyes still closed and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He wanted the blonde to understand how much Harry cares about him. He may not exactly return Draco’s feelings, but that didn’t mean the blonde meant nothing to him. He was the father of his children, his oldest rival in quidditch, the first wizard he’d ever met, and the person who threw him the wand that destroyed Voldemort. Draco had saved Harry’s life at the manor and his mother had saved the brunette on the battlefield. He owed them this. He owed his children this. He wouldn’t be able to face the twins knowing he sent their father out to die. More than anything, though, Harry really  **really** cared about Draco. He didn’t have any intentions of letting the blonde leave if Draco didn’t get better. 

“I do,” he heard the blonde finally say. His eyes snapped open and met Draco’s. The blonde was looking at him with a slightly angry expression, “You don’t understand it either. I don’t know why I thought you might. I-I can’t go outside, Harry. I just can’t. You threatening to keep me here won’t make me be able to. It’ll just make the both of us miserable. We-we need to go back to being distant. I think that’ll be better for everyone.” 

“It’s not better for me,” Harry admitted after a second of silence, “And I don’t think you’d like it, either. I worry when you're not alright and-and I know you care about me, too, so let go of your pride or whatever it is that’s making you unable to speak to me. Just be honest with me, okay? We can work through it together, step by step. Grimmauld Place is in a muggle neighborhood. No one will judge you out there. They don’t know who you are. I bought you a magical device that can hide the pregnancy. Let’s just try to go outside and then see what happens, okay?” 

A few seconds passed before the blonde sighed, smiled at Harry, and nodded slightly, worried, but calmed by the fact that the brunette would be by his side. 

_ I’ll speak to you through the link.  _

_ But I don’t want you to answer me.  _

_ Or bring up what I say.  _

_ Or else I won’t say anything.  _

**_Fine._ **

**\- End of Flashback -**

“Okay, if you want to do the chores around the house, you can, but you don’t have to learn the muggle way,” Harry murmured. The blonde looked at him, a puzzled expression on his face, until the brunette passed him his wand, and realization dawned on Draco. 

“You want me to use it?” he asked, uncertainly, “What if the Aurors find out?” 

“They won’t,” Harry quickly reassured him, “You’ve already used it once, and they haven’t come here looking for you. So, it’s safe to say that if neither of us say anything, they won’t find out. You can use it whenever I’m at home and then, if I’m at work-” 

“I’ll find a way to keep myself entertained,” the blonde said with a smile, cutting the brunette off. Harry smiled and nodded, but there was still something he didn’t understand. 

“How could you not know how to use muggle appliances when you’ve lived alone so long? Did you just order everything you needed for your apartment?” he asked. Draco shook his head. 

_ I couldn’t even get that bloody phone thing to work.  _

_ My old boss used to provide my meals for me.  _

_ It was an alternate method of payment.  _

_ I didn’t need any money for rent, anyways.  _

_ I own my place.  _

The brunette had to fight the urge to acknowledge what the blonde had just shared. How could Draco accept such a job? Did he think he could live that way forever? What kind of life would he have had, then? 

“I wish he had let me explain before firing me. It was a nice place, that apothecary. Not a lot of customers. Most of them were shunned like me. It was hard to speak to them sometimes, but not as bad as it would’ve been if it was a more popular place. I don’t think I could ever get another job like that,” the blonde suddenly murmured. Harry jumped at the opportunity to help Draco, though he didn’t like the thought of the blonde working there. Something was better than nothing. 

“I could try to speak to him, if you want,” he suggested, giving the blonde a serious look. Draco immediately shook his head. 

“So you’d know where I am after the birth? I don’t think that’s a good idea, Harry. Thank you, though,” he said firmly, then turned to leave the room. Before he could take a single step, though, Harry spoke again. 

“Why not? It would be nice to be able to check in on you, you know? Just to see how you’re doing. If you don’t want me to, though, I won’t. Just say the word.” 

Draco turned around, his silver eyes meeting Harry’s green ones. He looked deep in thought for a moment before he spoke through their mind-link. 

_ Of course, I’d want to see you… _

_ It’s not that.  _

_ What if they ask you about me? _

**_I won’t say anything._ **

Harry groaned internally. He shouldn’t have answered that. Would Draco be angry or think the brunette was lying? To his surprise, the blonde’s features softened and he gave Harry a sad smile. 

“I don’t want to put you in that kind of position,” he said softly, before turning around and leaving the room entirely. 


End file.
